Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
Bioessays. 2012 Dec;34(12):1009-16. doi: 10.1002/bies.201200081. Epub 2012 Oct 15.
Although estrogens are widely considered circulating "sex steroid hormones" typically associated with female reproduction, recent evidence suggests that estrogens can act as local modulators of brain circuits in both males and females. The functional implications of this newly characterized estrogen signaling system have begun to emerge. This essay summarizes evidence in support of the hypothesis that the rapid production of estrogens in brain circuits can drive acute changes in both the production and perception of acoustic communication behaviors. These studies have revealed two fundamental neurobiological concepts: (1) estrogens can be locally produced in brain circuits, independent of levels in nearby circuits and in the circulation and (2) estrogens can have very rapid effects within these brain circuits to modulate social vocalizations, acoustic processing, and sensorimotor integration. This vertebrate-wide span of research, including vocalizing fishes, amphibians, and birds, emphasizes the importance of comparative model systems in understanding principles of neurobiology.
尽管雌激素通常被认为是与女性生殖相关的循环“性激素”，但最近的证据表明，雌激素可以作为男性和女性大脑回路的局部调节剂。这个新特征的雌激素信号系统的功能意义已经开始显现。本文总结了支持以下假设的证据，即大脑回路中雌激素的快速产生可以驱动听觉通讯行为的产生和感知的急性变化。这些研究揭示了两个基本的神经生物学概念：（1）雌激素可以在大脑回路中局部产生，独立于附近回路和循环中的水平；（2）雌激素可以在这些大脑回路中产生非常迅速的影响，以调节社交发声、声音处理和感觉运动整合。这种包括发声鱼类、两栖动物和鸟类在内的脊椎动物广泛的研究，强调了比较模型系统在理解神经生物学原理中的重要性。
