Sexual dimorphism in the bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract in the rat

Abstract

This work investigates the existence of sex differences in the volume and number of neurons and glial cells in the bed nucleus of the accessory olfactory tract (BAOT). Males showed larger volume and number of cells than female rats. Early postnatal (day 1 after birth) orchidectomy in males, and androgenization in females, reversed these differences. No sex differences were found in BAOT glial cells. The sexual dimorphism found in the neuron/glial cell ratio reflects sex differences in neuron number. The existence of sexual dimorphism in the BAOT supports our earlier hypothesis which states that the vomeronasal system (VNS) is sexually dimorphic.