DISTRIBUTION OF ANDROGEN RECEPTOR-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN THE BRAINSOF INTACT AND CASTRATED MALE HAMSTERS

The distribution of androgen receptor-like (AR) immunoreactivity was m apped in brains of (a) intact, sham-castrated and (b) castrated male h amsters. The pattern of AR-immunoreactive (AR-ir) staining was, in gen eral, similar to that reported for gonadal steroid autoradiography of the male hamster brain. Moreover, with one exception, AR-like staining was similar in intact and castrated males, and occurred in the medial preoptic area, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, amygdala, hippocampus , thalamus, and several hypothalamic nuclei including the periventricu lar, supraoptic, and ventromedial nuclei, and median eminence. However , while AR-ir labeling was virtually absent in the lateral septum of i ntact males, it was clearly present in the lateral septum of castrated males. The view that androgen receptors in brain generally decline af ter castration received no support from this study.