Expression of aromatase in the embryonic and postnatal mouse striatum

Estrogen influences striatal activity and the development of the nigrostria tal system. This study is concerned with the ontogenetic and postnatal expr ession of aromatase in the mouse striatum. Aromatase activity and mRNA expr ession were detectable in the embryonic striatum and increased postnatally with no differences between sexes. Aromatase-positive cells were uniformly distributed within the striatum. These data demonstrate that estrogen forma tion is an intrinsic property of striatal cells and suggest that estrogen m ay be important for striatal development and function. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.