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Androgen Receptors in the Brain: What Are We Measuring?^*

Department of Anatomy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78284

Abstract

STUDIES dealing with androgen receptors in the brain have made use of two now well accepted techniques, namely autoradiography (in vivo) and receptor binding (in vitro), to define and characterize the receptors. It was generally assumed that the two approaches were providing corroborative yet different information about the same system. Recent autoradiographic data indicate that this is probably not the case and that in fact, they are probably characterizing different systems in the brain.

Early Studies Demonstrate That the Brain Is a Target for Androgen: Androgens have long been known to modify the expression of both sexual behavior (1, 2) and aggressive (3) behavior presumably by acting on the brain. This was later confirmed by studies in which testosterone was implanted directly into the brain (4). Implants of androgens into the median eminence, but not the pituitary gland, have also been shown to result in testicular regression and accessory sex gland atrophy (5, 6) and later to modulate gonadotropin secretion itself (7–9).

Footnotes

^* This research was supported by USPHS Research Career Development Award 1 K04 00164 and USPHS R01 NS12933.

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