Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

On the role of brain aromatase in females: why are estrogens produced locally when they are available systemically?

  • Review
  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ovaries are often thought of as the main and only source of estrogens involved in the regulation of female behavior. However, aromatase, the key enzyme for estrogen synthesis, although it is more abundant in males, is expressed and active in the brain of females where it is regulated by similar mechanisms as in males. Early work had shown that estrogens produced in the ventromedial hypothalamus are involved in the regulation of female sexual behavior in musk shrews. However, the question of the role of central aromatase in general had not received much attention until recently. Here, I will review the emerging concept that central aromatization plays a role in the regulation of physiological and behavioral endpoints in females. The data support the notion that in females, brain aromatase is not simply a non-functional evolutionary vestige, and provide support for the importance of locally produced estrogens for brain function in females. These observations should also have an impact for clinical research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Adapted from (Roselli et al. 1985; Wagner and Morrell 1996; Cornil et al. 2011; Kato et al. 2013; Biegon et al. 2015)

Fig. 2

Adapted from (Balthazart et al. 1990b, 1996; Roselli et al. 1996b; Hutchison et al. 1992; Voigt et al. 2011)

Fig. 3

Adapted from (Dickens et al. 2011; Remage-Healey et al. 2012; Kenealy et al. 2013)

Fig. 4

Adapted from (Veney and Rissman 2000; de Bournonville et al. 2016)

Fig. 5

Adapted from (Kenealy et al. 2013, 2016)

Fig. 6

Adapted from (Remage-Healey et al. 2012; Nelson et al. 2016; Tuscher et al. 2016)

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BST:

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

DHEA:

Dehydroepiandrosterone

DHT:

Dihydrotestosterone

E2:

Estradiol

EB:

Estradiol benzoate

FSH:

Follicle stimulating hormone

GnRH:

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone

HPOA:

Hypothalamus-preoptic area

Kp:

Kisspeptin

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

MBH:

Mediobasal hypothalamus

MeA:

Medial amygdala

MPOA:

Medial preoptic area

NCM:

Caudomedial nidopalium

POA:

Preoptic area

POM:

Medial preoptic nucleus

VMH:

Ventromedial hypothalamus

VMN:

Ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Jacques Balthazart for his careful reading of a previous version of this manuscript. C.A.C is Senior Research Associate from the Belgian Funds for Research (Fonds de la Recherche Nationale or F.R.S.-FNRS) and her work reviewed here was supported by the National Institutes for Health (R01 NIH/MH50388).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charlotte A. Cornil.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cornil, C.A. On the role of brain aromatase in females: why are estrogens produced locally when they are available systemically?. J Comp Physiol A 204, 31–49 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-017-1224-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-017-1224-2

Keywords

Navigation