Hormone dependent differentiation, maturation and function of the brain and sexual behaviour

Dorner G

1997

Germany

Male rats castrated on the first day of life were sexually excited by posturings of the same sex following androgen substitution in adults. In other words, genetic males exposed to a temporary androgen deficiency during sexual differentiation and maturation of the brain, but normal androgen levels in adulthood, had homosexual behaviour. The higher the androgen level during a critical differentiation phase, the stronger was the male and the weaker the female sexual behaviour during the post pubertal functional phase, irrespective of the genetic sex.

One of the studies suggesting that there is, in the perinatal period of rodents, a phase of brain development which is critical for sexual orientation. See entries 182, 224