Sexually dimorphic nuclei in the spinal cord control male sexual functions

Sakamoto, Hirotaka

doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00184

Cited by 19 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The spinal cord of genetically male rats carrying the Tfm allele is hyperfeminine and exhibits even fewer GRP-positive neurons than dose the spinal cord of wild-type females. The spinal cord of Tfm males showed fewer GRP-positive neurons than that of wild-type males, as was expected [2,5]. In addition, GRPexpressing neurons in males express ARs but do not express estrogen receptors [5].…”

Section: Identification Of the Grp System And Its Local Neural Circuisupporting

confidence: 62%

“…In male rats, the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) is a cluster of motor neurons located in the fifth and sixth lumbar and first sacral segments of the spinal cord (L5-S1 level) [2,[15][16][17]. These motor neurons and their target muscles, the bulbocavernosus and levator ani, which are attached to the base of the penis, play an important role in male copulatory behavior [15,[17][18][19].…”

Section: Sakamoto and Otimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neural circuits underlying male sexual function are composed of several nuclei located in the brain and spinal cord [1,2]. Lower spinal cord injuries frequently cause sexual dysfunction in men, including erectile dysfunction and ejaculation disorder [3,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lower spinal cord injuries frequently cause sexual dysfunction in men, including erectile dysfunction and ejaculation disorder [3,4]. This indicates that important neural centers for male sexual function are located within the lower spinal cord [1,2]. However, the molecular and neuroanatomical mechanisms controlling male sexual function at the lower spinal cord level remain unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Oxytocin and the Gastrin-Releasing Peptide System in the Spinal Cord: Implications for Male Sexual Problems

Sakamoto

Oti

2015

IIS

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Neural circuits underlying male sexual function comprise several nuclei located in the brain and spinal cord. We have previously demonstrated in rats that the gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system influences spinal centers promoting penile reflexes. Moreover, a group of oxytocin (OXT) neurons, situated in the parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, project into the spinal cord and control penile reflexes. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that OXT is transported by long descending paraventriculospinal pathways and activates proerectile spinal centers. Consequently, we have shown that in rats, axonal distribution of OXT in the lumbar spinal cord exhibits a male-dominant sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, OXT binding is observed in the spinal GRP neurons. Thus, OXT axons may secrete OXT from spinal axonal terminals and regulate male sexual function via an OXT receptor-mediated mechanism in spinal GRP neurons. Future studies should address the relationship between the hypothalamic OXT and spinal GRP systems. Identification of the male-specific brain-spinal cord neural circuit that regulates male sexual behavior may provide new avenues for therapeutic approaches to masculine reproductive dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction and/or ejaculation disorder.

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Section: Identification Of the Grp System And Its Local Neural Circuisupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Sakamoto and Otimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Oxytocin and the Gastrin-Releasing Peptide System in the Spinal Cord: Implications for Male Sexual Problems

Sakamoto

Oti

2015

IIS

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“…1,2 This indicates that important neural control circuits for penile function are located within the lower spinal cord. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] We previously demonstrated that a population of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) neurons in the lumbar spinal cord has an important role in penile erection and ejaculation in rats. 10,11 This system of GRP neurons is sexually dimorphic, being prominent in male rats but vestigial or absent in female rats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sexually dimorphic peptidergic system in the lower spinal cord controlling penile function in non-human primates

et al. 2017

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Identification of the sexually dimorphic gastrin‐releasing peptide system in the lumbosacral spinal cord that controls male reproductive function in the mouse and Asian house musk shrew (Suncus murinus)

Tamura

Kobayashi

Hirooka

et al. 2017

J of Comparative Neurology

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Several regions of the brain and spinal cord control male reproductive function. We previously demonstrated that the gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system, located in the lumbosacral spinal cord of rats, controls spinal centers to promote penile reflexes during male copulatory behavior. However, little information exists on the male-specific spinal GRP system in animals other than rats. The objective of this study was to examine the functional generality of the spinal GRP system in mammals using the Asian house musk shrew (Suncus murinus; suncus named as the laboratory strain), a specialized placental mammal model. Mice are also used for a representative model of small laboratory animals. We first isolated complementary DNA encoding GRP in suncus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that suncus preproGRP was clustered to an independent branch. Reverse transcription-PCR showed that GRP and its receptor mRNAs were both expressed in the lumbar spinal cord of suncus and mice. Immunohistochemistry for GRP demonstrated that the sexually dimorphic GRP system and male-specific expression/distribution patterns of GRP in the lumbosacral spinal cord in suncus are similar to those of mice. In suncus, we further found that most GRP-expressing neurons in males also express androgen receptors, suggesting that this male-dominant system in suncus is also androgen-dependent. Taken together, these results indicate that the sexually dimorphic spinal GRP system exists not only in mice but also in suncus, suggesting that this system is a conserved property in mammals. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:1586-1598, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Sexually dimorphic nuclei in the spinal cord control male sexual functions

Cited by 19 publications

References 62 publications

Oxytocin and the Gastrin-Releasing Peptide System in the Spinal Cord: Implications for Male Sexual Problems

Oxytocin and the Gastrin-Releasing Peptide System in the Spinal Cord: Implications for Male Sexual Problems

A sexually dimorphic peptidergic system in the lower spinal cord controlling penile function in non-human primates

Identification of the sexually dimorphic gastrin‐releasing peptide system in the lumbosacral spinal cord that controls male reproductive function in the mouse and Asian house musk shrew (Suncus murinus)

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