Sex differences in neuronal morphology in the killifish hypothalamus

This study examined the neuroarchitecture of the male and female killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) hypothalamus to evaluate whether sexual dimorphism of this brain region exists in fishes as it does in mammals and other vertebrates. The rostral medulla, a brain region distinct from the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, was also examined to determine if any observed differences were region-specific. With the use of Golgi–Cox impregnation, five dendritic characteristics were measured from neurons of both the hypothalamus and medulla including: spine density, number of branch points, dendrite length, surface area and volume. Dendritic spines are associated with excitatory synapses, and changes in density are associated with a variety of normal and pathological changes. Consistent with mammalian studies, we found that adult female killifish have 25% greater dendritic spine densities in the hypothalamus than male killifish (densities of 0.34 ± 0.06 μm−1 and 0.25 ± 0.08 μm−1, respectively). By contrast, no statistically significant difference between males and females was detected in spine densities in the rostral medulla. This finding supports the conclusion that hypothalamic sexual dimorphism is conserved in killifish.