Allen L S, Hines M, Shryne J E, Gorski R A
Department of Anatomy, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
J Neurosci. 1989 Feb;9(2):497-506. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.09-02-00497.1989.
A quantitative analysis of the volume of 4 cell groups in the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area (PO-AHA) and of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of the human brain was performed in 22 age-matched male and female individuals. We suggest the term Interstitial Nuclei of the Anterior Hypothalamus (INAH 1-4) to identify these 4 previously undescribed cell groups in the PO-AHA. While 2 INAH and the SON were not sexually dimorphic, gender-related differences were found in the other 2 cell groups. One nucleus (INAH-3) was 2.8 times larger in the male brain than in the female brain irrespective of age. The other cell group (INAH-2) was twice as large in the male brain, but also appeared to be related in women to circulating steroid hormone levels. Since the PO-AHA influences gonadotropin secretion, maternal behavior, and sexual behavior in several mammalian species, these results suggest that functional sex differences in the hypothalamus may be related to sex differences in neural structure.
对22名年龄匹配的男性和女性个体的人脑视前区-下丘脑前部（PO-AHA）的4个细胞群以及视上核（SON）的体积进行了定量分析。我们建议使用“下丘脑前部间质核（INAH 1-4）”这一术语来识别PO-AHA中这4个先前未描述的细胞群。虽然2个INAH和SON不存在性别二态性，但在其他2个细胞群中发现了与性别相关的差异。无论年龄大小，男性大脑中的一个核（INAH-3）比女性大脑中的大2.8倍。另一个细胞群（INAH-2）在男性大脑中的大小是女性的两倍，但在女性中似乎也与循环类固醇激素水平有关。由于PO-AHA会影响几种哺乳动物的促性腺激素分泌、母性行为和性行为，这些结果表明下丘脑的功能性性别差异可能与神经结构的性别差异有关。
