Banca de DEFESA: CASSIA MANUELE SILVA DE ANDRADE

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : CASSIA MANUELE SILVA DE ANDRADE
DATE: 24/04/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Auditório do Departamento de Morfologia
TITLE:

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE VENTRAL PREMAMMILLARY NUCLEUS OF THE RAT: STEREOLOGICAL EVALUATION

KEY WORDS:

Ventral premammillary nucleus, Hypothalamus, Sexual dimorphism, Stereology.

PAGES: 59
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Morfologia
SUBÁREA: Anatomia
SPECIALTY: Anatomia Animal
SUMMARY:

The hypothalamus is the main structure of the nervous system responsible for integrating extrinsic and intrinsic factors, allowing the organism to detect environmental variations and respond appropriately to these stimuli. The hypothalamus contains functionally specialized neurons, which are grouped into nuclei. The ventral premammillary nucleus (PMV) is a hypothalamic nucleus that is part of circuits integrating reproductive and nutritional status and regulating motivated social behaviors. It acts as a relay for pheromonal information that modulates reproductive and agonistic behaviors. These circuits comprise a series of interconnected nuclei, most of which have been described as sexually dimorphic, at least in rodents. Understanding sex differences in a region of the nervous system can guide research and lead to different interpretations of results. However, such an analysis is lacking for the PMV. Thus, we analyzed and compared different morphological aspects of the PMV in male and female rats at different stages of the estrous cycle (estrus and diestrus). A three-dimensional morphoquantitative analysis (stereological analysis) of the PMV was conducted, based on the Cavalieri principle, neuronal density analysis using Delesse's principle, mean neuronal volume assessed by the nucleator, and total neuronal quantification using the optical fractionator. These analyses were performed on 21 animals divided into three groups: estrus females (n=6), diestrus females (n=7), and males (n=8). The PMV of females in estrus or diestrus showed lower averages in all analyzed parameters compared to males. However, only neuronal volume (p<0,0001) and total neuron count (p<0,005) were statistically significant. Our data suggest potential sexually dimorphic differences, with males exhibiting larger average sizes than females across all analyzed parameters.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 3550124 - JUDNEY CLEY CAVALCANTE
Interno - 4363493 - EXPEDITO SILVA DO NASCIMENTO JUNIOR
Externo à Instituição - JOSE DONATO JUNIOR - USP