A pair of neurons found remembering and seeking sex even at the expense of food in male worms.
Ever wonder why you always remember big sexual events for the rest of your life? Thanks to a pair of neurons found to remember and seek sex even at the expense of food in male worms.
These distinct male neurons are needed for gender-based differences in learning, suggesting that gender differences in cognitive abilities can be genetically rigid.
“Areas of the brain involved in learning show gender differences in many animals, including humans, but it is not clear how these differences affect direct impact on behavior, ”said lead author Dr Arantza Barrios from University College London.
The team has shown how genetic and developmental differences between the two sexes lead to structural changes in the brains of male worms during sexual maturity.
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“These changes make male brains work differently, allowing males to recall previous sexual events and prioritize sex in future situations,” he explained. .
The team was surprised to find previously unknown cells that are responsible for the behavior change because worms are models of good organism.
They were able to show that the cells from which these male brain neurons are born share common features to the cells that produce human brain neurons.
They are glial cells – companions and support cells of neurons.
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The recently identified pair of neurons – known as ‘male secretory cells’ or ‘MCMs’ – create behavioral differences between the two species by altering the brain cycle that is common to both.
The “MCM” neurons are made up only of glial cells containing male chromosomes.
“Although the work is done in a small worm, it nonetheless provides us with an insight that will help us to understand the full range of human sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity,” explained the co-author professor Scott Emmons of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Scientists can now take advantage of this system to understand how a completely different glia can go back into the cell cycle and generate neurons. This could have significant therapeutic effects in the future.
The study was published in the journal Nature.
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