%0 Journal Article
%T Inter-sexual variation in social interactions and distribution of estrogen receptor alpha in the brain of mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus
%A ZHAI Pei-Yuan
%A TAI Fa-Dao
%A XUE Hui
%A Jia Rui
%J Acta Zoologica Sinica
%D 2008
%I 
%X To explore the effects of estrogen receptor alpha (ER¦Á) on social behaviors of mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), same-sex social interaction tests in mandarin voles were conducted and the distribution of ER¦Á immunoreactivity(IR) cells were examined in the brains of male and female mandarin voles by immunocytochemistry. The results showed that female mandarin voles displayed significantly less affiliation and more defense (P<0.01) and more aggressive behaviors (P<0.05) than males. The ER¦Á-IR cells were mainly localized in arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (ARC), medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA), central amygdaloid nucleus (Ce), medial prioptic area (MPOA), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). The distribution of ER¦Á-IR cells varied between the sexes with females expressing significantly more ER¦Á-IR in the BST, MPOA, MeA and Ce (P<0.01) and males expressed more ER¦Á-IR in the ARC (P<0.05). There was no significant inter-sexual difference in ER¦Á-IR cell densities in VMH (P>0.05). These findings suggest that there is significant difference in aggression, affiliation and defense as well as distribution of ER¦Á-IR cells between males and females for mandarin voles. Sexual differences in social interactions and distribution of ER¦Á-IR cells are consistent with the characteristics of a monogamous rodent. The inter-sexual variation in the distribution of ER¦Á-IR cells may be one of the important neural mechanisms underlying monogamous social and reproductive behaviors [Acta Zoologica Sinica 54£¨6£©£º1020¨C1028, 2008].
%K Mandarin voles
%K Social interaction
%K ER¦Á
%K Distribution
%K Sexual dimorphic
%U http://www.currentzoology.org/paperdetail.asp?id=11039