ArticleCell2013
Sexually dimorphic neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus govern mating in both sexes and aggression in males.
Article in Cell, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 401 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
401 citing papers in PubMed, 710 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Respiratory-Limbic Coupling via a Thalamic Circuit Alleviates Anxiety.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Not just neurons: glial mechanisms driving sex-specific vulnerability to withdrawal and relapse in substance use disorder.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Endometrial Assembloid Model Reveals Endometrial Gland Development Regulation by Estradiol-Driven WNT7B Suppression.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Spatially resolved molecular sex differences at single-cell resolution in the adult human ventromedial and arcuate hypothalamus.Cell reports · 2026Article
341 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Sexual dimorphisms in the brain underlie behavioral sex differences, but the function of individual sexually dimorphic neuronal populations is poorly understood. Neuronal sexual dimorphisms typically represent quantitative differences in cell number, gene expression, or other features, and it is unknown whether these dimorphisms control sex-typical behavior exclusively in one sex or in both sexes. The progesterone receptor (PR) controls female sexual behavior, and we find many sex differences in number, distribution, or projections of PR-expressing neurons in the adult mouse brain. Using a genetic strategy we developed, we have ablated one such dimorphic PR-expressing neuronal population located in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Ablation of these neurons in females greatly diminishes sexual receptivity. Strikingly, the corresponding ablation in males reduces mating and aggression. Our findings reveal the functions of a molecularly defined, sexually dimorphic neuronal population in the brain. Moreover, we show that sexually dimorphic neurons can control distinct sex-typical behaviors in both sexes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.