Data for: Microglia phagocytosis determines the volume and function of the rat Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area

The Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area (SDN-POA) is the oldest and most robust sex difference reported in mammalian brain and is singular for its presence across a wide range of species from rodents to ungulates to man. This small collection of Nissl dense neurons is reliably larger in volume in males. Yet, despite its notoriety and intense interrogation, both the mechanism establishing the sex difference and the functional role of the SDN have remained elusive. Convergent evidence from rodent studies led to the conclusion that testicular androgens aromatized to estrogens are neuroprotective in males and that higher apoptosis (naturally occurring cell death) in females determines their smaller SDN. In several species, including humans, a smaller SDN correlates with a preference for mating with males. We report here that this volume difference is dependent upon a participatory role of phagocytic microglia which engulf more neurons in the female SDN and assure their destructi..., ,