What makes a man behave like a man and a woman a woman? The answer may be partly in your genes. Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered a new twist on the role that estrogens play in the development of behavioral differences between males and females.
In laboratory tests on mice, the researchers found evidence that an estrogen receptor in the hypothalamus called ERb regulates defeminization, a process by which males lose the ability to display female-type behavior in adulthood. Defeminization is believed by many experts to be the main neurological process that differentiates males and females before birth. The discovery is detailed in the March 10 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences found at: www.pnas.org.
Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.Like this author?
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 12 Mar 2005
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Grohol, J. (2005). What Are Little Boys Made of? Study Suggests a Role for Estrogen Receptor in Behavioral Sex Differences. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 13, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2005/03/12/what-are-little-boys-made-of-study-suggests-a-role-for-estrogen-receptor-in-behavioral-sex-differences/
