Department of Animal Science, University of Wyoming Laramie, WY, USA.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2011 Oct 3;2:42. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2011.00042. eCollection 2011.
The preference to seek out a sexual partner of the opposite sex is robust and ensures reproduction and survival of the species. Development of female-directed partner preference in the male is dependent on exposure of the developing brain to gonadal steroids synthesized during critical periods of sexual differentiation of the central nervous system. In the absence of androgen exposure, a male-directed partner preference develops. The development and expression of sexual partner preference has been extensively studied in rat, ferret, and sheep model systems. From these models it is clear that gonadal testosterone, often through estrogenic metabolites, cause both masculinization and defeminization of behavior during critical periods of brain development. Changes in the steroid environment during these critical periods result in atypical sexual partner preference. In this manuscript, we review the major findings which support the hypothesis that the organizational actions of sex steroids are responsible for sexual differentiation of sexual partner preferences in select non-human species. We also explore how this information has helped to frame our understanding of the biological influences on human sexual orientation and gender identity.
寻求异性性伴侣的偏好是强烈的，它确保了物种的繁殖和生存。男性中指向女性的伴侣偏好的发展取决于发育中的大脑暴露于在中枢神经系统性分化的关键时期合成的性腺类固醇。在没有雄激素暴露的情况下，会发展出指向男性的伴侣偏好。在大鼠、雪貂和绵羊模型系统中，对性伴侣偏好的发展和表达进行了广泛的研究。从这些模型中可以清楚地看出，睾丸激素，通常通过雌激素代谢物，在大脑发育的关键时期导致行为的男性化和去女性化。在这些关键时期类固醇环境的变化导致了非典型的性伴侣偏好。在本文中，我们回顾了支持以下假设的主要发现，即性类固醇的组织作用负责特定非人类物种中性伴侣偏好的性分化。我们还探讨了这些信息如何帮助我们理解对人类性取向和性别认同的生物学影响。
