Organizational and activational effects of gonadal steroid hormones on the EEG of male and female rats.

To analyze organizational and activational effects of sex steroids on adult rat electroencephalographic activity (recorded at postnatal day 100), seven groups were included: males (48)—intact, neonatally or adult castrated; females (64)—intact, ovariectomized and exposed pre- or neonatally to testosterone propionate. In males, neonatal orchidectomy increased beta relative power, whereas both neonatal and adult castration reduced interparietal correlation. In females, prenatal testosterone administration produced higher theta absolute power; theta relative power was higher in all experimental groups, whereas beta1 and beta2 were decreased by prenatal and increased by neonatal virilization; prenatal virilization enhanced, while neonatal virilization and adult ovariectomy decreased interparietal correlation. These data indicate that females are more sensitive to early prenatal than to neonatal organizational effects of sex steroids, and some electroencephalographic features are feminized in castrated males and virilized in perinatally androgenized females. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 37: 194–207, 2000