101
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Sex Differences in Anxiety and Depression: What Can (and Cannot) Preclinical Studies Tell Us? SEXES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sexes3010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the gender perspective in scientific research and sex differences in biological studies on emotional disorders have become increasingly important. However, sex bias in basic research on anxiety and depression is still far from being covered. This review addresses the study of sex differences in the field of anxiety and depression using animal models that consider this issue so far. What can preclinical studies tell us and what are their main limitations? First, we describe the behavioral tests most frequently used in preclinical research to assess depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. Then, we analyze the main findings, strengths, and weaknesses of rodent models of anxiety and depression, dividing them into three main categories: sex chromosome complement-biased sex differences; gonadal hormone-biased sex differences; environmental-biased sex differences. Regardless of the animal model used, none can reproduce all the characteristics of such complex and multifactorial pathologies as anxiety and depressive disorders; however, each animal model contributes to elucidating the bases that underlie these disorders. The importance is highlighted of considering sex differences in the responses that emerge from each model.
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102
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Lipoic acid prevents mirtazapine-induced weight gain in mice without impairs its antidepressant-like action in a neuroendocrine model of depression. Behav Brain Res 2022; 419:113667. [PMID: 34798169 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mirtazapine (MIRT) is a multi-target antidepressant used in treatment of severe depression with promising efficacy, but also with important side effects, mainly sedation and weight gain. Thus, the present study aimed to test the effects of the neuroprotective antioxidant lipoic acid (ALA) in the reversal of weight and metabolic changes induced by MIRT in corticosterone-induced depression model in mice, as well as proposed mechanisms for their association antidepressant and pro-cognitive effects. To do these male Swiss mice received Tween 80 (control), corticosterone (CORT 20 mg / kg), MIRT (3 mg / kg) and ALA (100 or 200 mg / kg), alone or associated for 21 days. After this, the animals were subjected to behavioral tests for affective and cognitive domains. Daily weight changes, blood cholesterol fractions and corticosterone were measured. Also, hippocampus (HC) protein expression of the serotonin transporter (SERT), synaptophysin, protein kinase B-Akt (total and phosphorylated) and the cytokines IL-4 and IL-6 were investigated. CORT induced a marked depression-like behavior, memory deficits, metabolic changes (total cholesterol and LDL) and increased serum corticosterone. Also, CORT increased SERT expression in the HC. MIRT alone or combined with ALA sustained its antidepressant-like effect, as well as reversed CORT-induced impairment in spatial recognition memory. Additionally, the association MIRT+ALA200 reversed the weight gain induced by the former antidepressant, as well as reduced serum corticosterone levels and SERT expression in the HC. ALA alone induced significant weight loss and reduced total cholesterol and HDL fraction. Our findings provide promising evidence about the ALA potential to prevent metabolic and weight changes associated to MIRT, without impair its antidepressant and pro-cognition actions. Therefore, ALA+MIRT combination could represent a new therapeutic strategy for treating depression with less side effects.
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103
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Maia Oliveira IC, Vasconcelos Mallmann AS, Adelvane de Paula Rodrigues F, Teodorio Vidal LM, Lopes Sales IS, Rodrigues GC, Ferreira de Oliveira N, de Castro Chaves R, Cavalcanti Capibaribe VC, Rodrigues de Carvalho AM, Maria de França Fonteles M, Chavez Gutierrez SJ, Barbosa-Filho JM, Florenço de Sousa FC. Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Riparin I in a Model of Depression Induced by Corticosterone in Female Mice. Neuropsychobiology 2022; 81:28-38. [PMID: 33915549 DOI: 10.1159/000515929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is a common, chronic, and often recurrent serious mood disorder. Conventional antidepressants present limitations that stimulate the search for new drugs. Antioxidant and neuroprotective substances are potential antidepressant agents. In this context, riparin I (RIP I) has presented promising results, emerging as a potential source of a new therapeutic drug. In this study, the antidepressant effect of RIP I was evaluated in an animal model of depression induced by corticosterone (CORT). The involvement of neuroprotective and antioxidant mechanisms in the generation of this effect was also assessed. METHODS Female mice were submitted to CORT for 21 days and treated with RIP I in the last 7 days. Behavioral and neurochemical analyses were performed. RESULTS The administration of RIP I reversed the depressive and psychotic-like behavior, as well as the cognitive impairment caused by CORT, in addition to regulating oxidative stress parameters and BDNF levels in depression-related brain areas. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that RIP I can be a strong candidate for drugs in the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Cristina Maia Oliveira
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Auriana Serra Vasconcelos Mallmann
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Francisco Adelvane de Paula Rodrigues
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Laura Maria Teodorio Vidal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Iardja Stéfane Lopes Sales
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil,
| | - Gabriel Carvalho Rodrigues
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Natalia Ferreira de Oliveira
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Raquell de Castro Chaves
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Victor Celso Cavalcanti Capibaribe
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Alyne Mara Rodrigues de Carvalho
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | | | | | - José Maria Barbosa-Filho
- Department of Pharmacy, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Federal University of Paraiba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Francisca Cléa Florenço de Sousa
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
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104
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Male sex bias in early and late onset neurodevelopmental disorders: shared aspects and differences in autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104577. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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105
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Rochat MJ. Sex and gender differences in the development of empathy. J Neurosci Res 2022; 101:718-729. [PMID: 35043464 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The topic of typical sex and gender difference in empathy is examined in both a developmental and neuroscientific perspective. Empathy is construed as a multi-layered phenomenon with various degrees of complexity unfolding in ontogeny. The different components of empathy (i.e., affective, cognitive, and prosocial motivation) will be discussed as they interact and are expressed behaviorally. Significant sex/gender differences in empathy are discussed in relation to putative bottom-up or top-down processes underlying empathetic responses. The early onset and the pervasive presence of such sex/gender differences throughout the lifespan are further discussed in light of social and neurobiological modeling factors, including early socialization, brain's structural/functional variances, as well as genetics and hormonal factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Jane Rochat
- Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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106
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Lee JW, Profant M, Wang C. Metabolic Sex Dimorphism of the Brain at the Gene, Cell, and Tissue Level. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 208:212-220. [PMID: 35017210 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The palpable observation in the sex bias of disease prevalence in the CNS has fascinated scientists for several generations. Brain sex dimorphism has been visualized by imaging and analytical tools at the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. Recent work highlighted the specificity of such sex bias in the brain and its subregions, offering a unique lens through which disease pathogenesis can be investigated. The brain is the largest consumer of energy in the body and provides a unique metabolic environment for diverse lineages of cells. Immune cells are increasingly recognized as an integral part of brain physiology, and their function depends on metabolic homeostasis. This review focuses on metabolic sex dimorphism in brain tissue, resident, and infiltrating immune cells. In this context, we highlight the relevance of recent advances in metabolomics and RNA sequencing technologies at the single cell resolution and the development of novel computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Won Lee
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Martin Profant
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and.,Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chao Wang
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and .,Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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107
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Parel ST, Peña CJ. Genome-wide Signatures of Early-Life Stress: Influence of Sex. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:36-42. [PMID: 33602500 PMCID: PMC8791071 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Both history of early-life stress (ELS) and female sex are associated with increased risk for depression. The complexity of how ELS interacts with brain development and sex to impart risk for multifaceted neuropsychiatric disorders is also unlikely to be understood by examining changes in single genes. Here, we review an emerging literature on genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic signatures of ELS and the potential moderating influence of sex. We discuss evidence both that there are latent sex differences revealed by ELS and that ELS itself produces latent transcriptomic changes revealed by adult stress. In instances where there are broad similarities in global signatures of ELS among females and males, genes that contribute to these patterns are largely distinct based on sex. As this area of investigation grows, an effort should be made to better understand the sex-specific impact of ELS within the human brain, specific contributions of chromosomal versus hormonal sex, how ELS alters the time course of normal transcriptional development, and the cell-type specificity of transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in the brain. A better understanding of how ELS interacts with sex to alter transcriptomic and epigenomic signatures in the brain will inform individualized therapeutic strategies to prevent or ameliorate depression and other psychiatric disorders in this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sero Toriano Parel
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
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108
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Rainville JR, Lipuma T, Hodes GE. Translating the Transcriptome: Sex Differences in the Mechanisms of Depression and Stress, Revisited. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:25-35. [PMID: 33865609 PMCID: PMC10197090 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has produced a plethora of studies examining sex differences in the transcriptional profiles of stress and mood disorders. As we move forward from accepting the existence of extensive molecular sex differences in the brain to exploring the purpose of these sex differences, our approach must become more systemic and less reductionist. Earlier studies have examined specific brain regions and/or cell types. To use this knowledge to develop the next generation of personalized medicine, we need to comprehend how transcriptional changes across the brain and/or the body relate to each other. We provide an overview of the relationships between baseline and depression/stress-related transcriptional sex differences and explore contributions of preclinically identified mechanisms and their impacts on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Rainville
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Timothy Lipuma
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
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109
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Salminen LE, Tubi MA, Bright J, Thomopoulos SI, Wieand A, Thompson PM. Sex is a defining feature of neuroimaging phenotypes in major brain disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:500-542. [PMID: 33949018 PMCID: PMC8805690 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex is a biological variable that contributes to individual variability in brain structure and behavior. Neuroimaging studies of population-based samples have identified normative differences in brain structure between males and females, many of which are exacerbated in psychiatric and neurological conditions. Still, sex differences in MRI outcomes are understudied, particularly in clinical samples with known sex differences in disease risk, prevalence, and expression of clinical symptoms. Here we review the existing literature on sex differences in adult brain structure in normative samples and in 14 distinct psychiatric and neurological disorders. We discuss commonalities and sources of variance in study designs, analysis procedures, disease subtype effects, and the impact of these factors on MRI interpretation. Lastly, we identify key problems in the neuroimaging literature on sex differences and offer potential recommendations to address current barriers and optimize rigor and reproducibility. In particular, we emphasize the importance of large-scale neuroimaging initiatives such as the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analyses consortium, the UK Biobank, Human Connectome Project, and others to provide unprecedented power to evaluate sex-specific phenotypes in major brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E. Salminen
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Meral A. Tubi
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Joanna Bright
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sophia I. Thomopoulos
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alyssa Wieand
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics CenterMark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USCMarina del ReyCaliforniaUSA
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110
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Williams OOF, Coppolino M, Perreault ML. Sex differences in neuronal systems function and behaviour: beyond a single diagnosis in autism spectrum disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:625. [PMID: 34887388 PMCID: PMC8660826 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01757-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is associated with functional brain alterations that underlie the expression of behaviour. Males are diagnosed up to four times more than females, and sex differences have been identified in memory, cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, and social communication. Unfortunately, there exists a lack of information on the sex-dependent mechanisms of ASD, as well as biological markers to distinguish sex-specific symptoms in ASD. This can often result in a standardized diagnosis for individuals across the spectrum, despite significant differences in the various ASD subtypes. Alterations in neuronal connectivity and oscillatory activity, such as is observed in ASD, are highly coupled to behavioural states. Yet, despite the well-identified sexual dimorphisms that exist in ASD, these functional patterns have rarely been analyzed in the context of sex differences or symptomology. This review summarizes alterations in neuronal oscillatory function in ASD, discusses the age, region, symptom and sex-specific differences that are currently observed across the spectrum, and potential targets for regulating neuronal oscillatory activity in ASD. The need to identify sex-specific biomarkers, in order to facilitate specific diagnostic criteria and allow for more targeted therapeutic approaches for ASD will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Melissa L Perreault
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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111
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The effects of acute stress on attentional networks and working memory in females. Physiol Behav 2021; 242:113602. [PMID: 34555409 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiological models indicate that acute stress facilitates bottom-up stimulus processing while impairing top-down executive control. To test this hypothesis, the present study investigated the effects of acute stress on behavioural and electrophysiological measures of human attentional networks, and behavioural measures of working memory. Forty-five female participants (Mage = 22.1, SD = 2.4) performed the Attention Network Test (ANT) and the n-back task before and after the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST; n = 23) or a non-stressful MAST-placebo (n = 22). Subjective distress ratings and salivary cortisol concentrations revealed a successful stress induction. Increased salivary cortisol at baseline was associated with slower reaction times across both tasks, suggesting a general detrimental effect of cortisol on cognitive functioning. Despite these findings, however, the hypothesised effects of the acute stress manipulation were not found for either task. Supplementary analyses indicated that these results were unrelated to the magnitude or duration of the stress response. Our results therefore suggest the standard version of the ANT may be insensitive to the effects of acute stress, and that higher cognitive loads may be necessary to observe stress effects on the n-back task.
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112
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Memmott‐Elison MK, Jorgensen MA, Padilla‐Walker LM. Growth in positive relationship quality with mothers, fathers, and siblings and associations with depressive symptoms and emotionally supportive prosocial behaviors during the transition to adulthood. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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113
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Sex differences in anxiety and depression: circuits and mechanisms. Nat Rev Neurosci 2021; 22:674-684. [PMID: 34545241 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-021-00513-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological sex differences in anxiety disorders and major depression are well characterized. Yet the circuits and mechanisms that contribute to these differences are understudied, because preclinical studies have historically excluded female rodents. This oversight is beginning to be addressed, and recent studies that include male and female rodents are identifying sex differences in neurobiological processes that underlie features of these disorders, including conflict anxiety, fear processing, arousal, social avoidance, learned helplessness and anhedonia. These findings allow us to conceptualize various types of sex differences in the brain, which in turn have broader implications for considering sex as a biological variable. Importantly, comparing the sexes could aid in the discovery of novel therapeutics.
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114
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Palmisano A, Bossi F, Barlabà C, Febbraio F, Loconte R, Lupo A, Nitsche MA, Rivolta D. Anodal tDCS effects over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) on the rating of facial expression: evidence for a gender-specific effect. Heliyon 2021; 7:e08267. [PMID: 34765784 PMCID: PMC8571084 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The accurate recognition of others' facial expressions is a core skill for social interactions. The left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (L-DLPFC) represents a key node in the network for facial emotion recognition. However, its specific role is still under debate. As such, the aim of the current neuromodulation study was to assess the causal role of the L-DLPFC in humans' rating of facial expressions of emotions and implicit attitudes toward other races. In this sham-controlled single-blind between-subject experiment, we offline administered L-DLPFC transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to 69 healthy participants who were divided into three groups of 23 (each receiving anodal 1 mA tDCS, anodal 2 mA tDCS, or Sham), before completing an "Emotion Rating task and two Implicit Association Tests (IATs). The former required the intensity rating of 192 faces (half black and half white) displaying happiness, sadness, anger, or fear. The IATs were designed to assess participants' automatic associations of positive or negative attributes with racial contents. Results on the Emotion Rating task showed participants' gender-specific effect of tDCS. Specifically, a gender bias, with only males showing a tendency to underestimate negative emotions was found in Sham, and absent in the tDCS groups. When considering the race of the stimuli, females but not males in Sham exhibited a racial bias, that is, the tendency to overestimate negative emotions of other-race faces. Again, the bias disappeared in the tDCS groups. Concerning the IATs, no significant effects emerged. We conclude that the L-DLPFC plays a critical role in humans' rating of facial expressions, and for variability in other-race emotional judgements. These results shed light on the neural bases of the human emotional system and its gender-related differences, and have potential implications for interventional settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa Palmisano
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Cecilia Barlabà
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Francesco Febbraio
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Riccardo Loconte
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Antonella Lupo
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Michael A. Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
| | - Davide Rivolta
- Department of Education, Psychology, and Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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115
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Hale LH, Tickerhoof MC, Smith AS. Chronic intranasal oxytocin reverses stress-induced social avoidance in female prairie voles. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108770. [PMID: 34461067 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent mental illness in both men and women, but current treatment approaches with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have limited success. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has become a therapeutic target due to its prosocial and anxiolytic effects. Nevertheless, no research has focused on the impact of chronic OXT treatment in animal models of SAD. Social defeat stress is an animal model of social conflict that reliably induces a social avoidance phenotype, reflecting symptoms observed in individuals suffering from SAD. Here, we used the socially monogamous prairie vole, which exhibits aggressive behavior in both sexes, to examine the effects of OXT and SSRI treatment following social defeat stress in males and females. Defeated voles became avoidant in unfamiliar social situations as early as one day after defeat experience, and this phenotype persisted for at least eight weeks. OXT receptor (OXTR) binding in mesocorticolimbic and paralimbic regions was reduced in defeated females during the eight-week recovery period. In males, serotonin 1A receptor binding was decreased in the basolateral amygdala and dorsal raphe nucleus starting at one week and four weeks post-defeat, respectively. Chronic intranasal treatment with OXT had a negative effect on sociability and mesolimbic OXTR binding in non-defeated females. However, chronic intranasal OXT promoted social engagement and increased mesolimbic OXTR binding in defeated females but not males. SSRI treatment led to only modest effects. This study identifies a sex-specific and stress-dependent function of intranasal OXT on mesolimbic OXTR and social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luanne H Hale
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Maria C Tickerhoof
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Adam S Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
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116
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Xu J, Hao L, Chen M, He Y, Jiang M, Tian T, Wang H, Wang Y, Wang D, Han ZR, Tan S, Men W, Gao J, He Y, Tao S, Dong Q, Qin S. Developmental Sex Differences in Negative Emotion Decision-Making Dynamics: Computational Evidence and Amygdala-Prefrontal Pathways. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2478-2491. [PMID: 34643680 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in human emotion and related decision-making behaviors are recognized, which can be traced back early in development. However, our understanding of their underlying neurodevelopmental mechanisms remains elusive. Using developmental functional magnetic resonance imaging and computational approach, we investigated developmental sex differences in latent decision-making dynamics during negative emotion processing and related neurocognitive pathways in 243 school-aged children and 78 young adults. Behaviorally, girls exhibit higher response caution and more effective evidence accumulation, whereas boys show more impulsive response to negative facial expression stimuli. These effects parallel sex differences in emotion-related brain maturity linking to evidence accumulation, along with age-related decrease in emotional response in the basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) in girls and an increase in the centromedial amygdala (CMA) in boys. Moreover, girls exhibit age-related decreases in BLA-MPFC coupling linked to evidence accumulation, but boys exhibit increases in CMA-insula coupling associated with response caution. Our findings highlight the neurocomputational accounts for developmental sex differences in emotion and emotion-related behaviors and provide important implications into the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of sex differences in latent emotional decision-making dynamics. This informs the emergence of sex differences in typical and atypical neurodevelopment of children's emotion and related functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Lei Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Menglu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Ying He
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Ting Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, School of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yanpei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Daoyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Department of Psychology, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Zhuo Rachel Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shuping Tan
- Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100096, China
| | - Weiwei Men
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies & McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jiahong Gao
- Center for MRI Research, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies & McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yong He
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Sha Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Key Laboratory of Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.,Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China
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117
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Vacher CM, Lacaille H, O'Reilly JJ, Salzbank J, Bakalar D, Sebaoui S, Liere P, Clarkson-Paredes C, Sasaki T, Sathyanesan A, Kratimenos P, Ellegood J, Lerch JP, Imamura Y, Popratiloff A, Hashimoto-Torii K, Gallo V, Schumacher M, Penn AA. Placental endocrine function shapes cerebellar development and social behavior. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1392-1401. [PMID: 34400844 PMCID: PMC8481124 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00896-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Compromised placental function or premature loss has been linked to diverse neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we show that placenta allopregnanolone (ALLO), a progesterone-derived GABA-A receptor (GABAAR) modulator, reduction alters neurodevelopment in a sex-linked manner. A new conditional mouse model, in which the gene encoding ALLO's synthetic enzyme (akr1c14) is specifically deleted in trophoblasts, directly demonstrated that placental ALLO insufficiency led to cerebellar white matter abnormalities that correlated with autistic-like behavior only in male offspring. A single injection of ALLO or muscimol, a GABAAR agonist, during late gestation abolished these alterations. Comparison of male and female human preterm infant cerebellum also showed sex-linked myelination marker alteration, suggesting similarities between mouse placental ALLO insufficiency and human preterm brain development. This study reveals a new role for a placental hormone in shaping brain regions and behaviors in a sex-linked manner. Placental hormone replacement might offer novel therapeutic opportunities to prevent later neurobehavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire-Marie Vacher
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Helene Lacaille
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jiaqi J O'Reilly
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jacquelyn Salzbank
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dana Bakalar
- National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sonia Sebaoui
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Philippe Liere
- U1195 INSERM, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Cedex, France
| | | | - Toru Sasaki
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aaron Sathyanesan
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Panagiotis Kratimenos
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
- The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pediatrics, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe), Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre (MICe), Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Yuka Imamura
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anastas Popratiloff
- The George Washington University, Nanofabrication and Imaging Center, Washington, DC, USA
- The George Washington University, SMHS, Anatomy & Cell Biology, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kazue Hashimoto-Torii
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
- The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pediatrics, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vittorio Gallo
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
- The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pediatrics, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Anna A Penn
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
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118
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Porcher L, Bruckmeier S, Burbano SD, Finnell JE, Gorny N, Klett J, Wood SK, Kelly MP. Aging triggers an upregulation of a multitude of cytokines in the male and especially the female rodent hippocampus but more discrete changes in other brain regions. J Neuroinflammation 2021; 18:219. [PMID: 34551810 PMCID: PMC8459490 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-021-02252-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite widespread acceptance that neuroinflammation contributes to age-related cognitive decline, studies comparing protein expression of cytokines in the young versus old brains are surprisingly limited in terms of the number of cytokines and brain regions studied. Complicating matters, discrepancies abound-particularly for interleukin 6 (IL-6)-possibly due to differences in sex, species/strain, and/or the brain regions studied. METHODS As such, we clarified how cytokine expression changes with age by using a Bioplex and Western blot to measure multiple cytokines across several brain regions of both sexes, using 2 mouse strains bred in-house as well as rats obtained from NIA. Parametric and nonparametric statistical tests were used as appropriate. RESULTS In the ventral hippocampus of C57BL/6J mice, we found age-related increases in IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17, eotaxin, G-CSF, interfeuron δ, KC, MIP-1a, MIP-1b, rantes, and TNFα that are generally more pronounced in females, but no age-related change in IL-5, MCP-1, or GM-CSF. We also find aging is uniquely associated with the emergence of a module (a.k.a. network) of 11 strongly intercorrelated cytokines, as well as an age-related shift from glycosylated to unglycosylated isoforms of IL-10 and IL-1β in the ventral hippocampus. Interestingly, age-related increases in extra-hippocampal cytokine expression are more discreet, with the prefrontal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum of male and female C57BL/6J mice demonstrating robust age-related increase in IL-6 expression but not IL-1β. Importantly, we found this widespread age-related increase in IL-6 also occurs in BALB/cJ mice and Brown Norway rats, demonstrating conservation across species and rearing environments. CONCLUSIONS Thus, age-related increases in cytokines are more pronounced in the hippocampus compared to other brain regions and can be more pronounced in females versus males depending on the brain region, genetic background, and cytokine examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Latarsha Porcher
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Sophie Bruckmeier
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St, HSFII Rm 216, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Steven D Burbano
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Julie E Finnell
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Nicole Gorny
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St, HSFII Rm 216, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jennifer Klett
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Susan K Wood
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Michy P Kelly
- Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA. .,Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St, HSFII Rm 216, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. .,Center for Research on Aging, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St, HSFII Rm 216, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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119
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Jang EH, Bae YH, Yang EM, Gim Y, Suh HJ, Kim S, Park SM, Park JB, Hur EM. Comparing axon regeneration in male and female mice after peripheral nerve injury. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2874-2887. [PMID: 34510521 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Axons in the adult mammalian central nervous system fail to regenerate after injury. By contrast, spontaneous axon regeneration occurs in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) due to a supportive PNS environment and an increase in the intrinsic growth potential induced by injury via cooperative activation of multifaceted biological pathways. This study compared axon regeneration and injury responses in C57BL/6 male and female mice after sciatic nerve crush (SNC) injury. The extent of axon regeneration in vivo was indistinguishable in male and female mice when observed at 3 days after SNC injury, and primary dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from injured, male and female mice extended axons to a similar length. Moreover, the induction of selected regeneration-associated genes (RAGs), such as Atf3, Sprr1a, Gap43, Sox11, Jun, Gadd45a, and Smad1 were comparable in male and female DRGs when assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, the RNA-seq analysis of male and female DRGs revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SNC groups compared to sham-operated groups included many common genes associated with neurite outgrowth. However, we also found that a large number of genes in the DEGs were sex dependent, implicating the involvement of distinct gene regulatory network in the two sexes following peripheral nerve injury. In conclusion, we found that male and female mice mounted a comparable axon regeneration response and many RAGs were commonly induced in response to SNC. However, given that many DEGs were sex-dependently expressed, future studies are needed to investigate whether they contribute to peripheral axon regeneration, and if so, to what extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Hae Jang
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yun-Hee Bae
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun Mo Yang
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,BK21 Four Future Veterinary Medicine Leading Education & Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yunho Gim
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyun-Jun Suh
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Subin Kim
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seong-Min Park
- Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Bae Park
- Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea.,Rare Cancer Branch, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Mi Hur
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,BK21 Four Future Veterinary Medicine Leading Education & Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
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120
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Prokai-Tatrai K, Zaman K, Nguyen V, De La Cruz DL, Prokai L. Proteomics-Based Retinal Target Engagement Analysis and Retina-Targeted Delivery of 17β-Estradiol by the DHED Prodrug for Ocular Neurotherapy in Males. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1392. [PMID: 34575465 PMCID: PMC8466286 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13091392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the impact of 17β-estradiol (E2) eye drops on the modulation of the proteome profile in the male rat retina. With discovery-driven proteomics, we have identified proteins that were regulated by our treatment. These proteins were assembled to several bioinformatics-based networks implicating E2's beneficial effects on the male rat retina in a broad context of ocular neuroprotection including the maintenance of retinal homeostasis, facilitation of efficient disposal of damaged proteins, and mitochondrial respiratory chain biogenesis. We have also shown for the first time that the hormone's beneficial effects on the male retina can be constrained to this target site by treatment with the bioprecursor prodrug, DHED. A large concentration of E2 was produced after DHED eye drops not only in male rat retinae but also in those of rabbits. However, DHED treatment did not increase circulating E2 levels, thereby ensuring therapeutic safety in males. Targeted proteomics focusing on selected biomarkers of E2's target engagement further confirmed the prodrug's metabolism to E2 in the male retina and indicated that the retinal impact of DHED treatment was identical to that of the direct E2 treatment. Altogether, our study shows the potential of topical DHED therapy for an efficacious and safe protection of the male retina without the unwanted hormonal side-effects associated with current estrogen therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Prokai-Tatrai
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA; (K.Z.); (V.N.); (D.L.D.L.C.); (L.P.)
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121
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Kinkead R, Gagnon M, Joseph V, Sériès F, Ambrozio-Marques D. Stress and Loss of Ovarian Function: Novel Insights into the Origins of Sex-Based Differences in the Manifestations of Respiratory Control Disorders During Sleep. Clin Chest Med 2021; 42:391-405. [PMID: 34353446 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccm.2021.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The respiratory system of women and men develops and functions in distinct neuroendocrine milieus. Despite differences in anatomy and neural control, homeostasis of arterial blood gases is ensured in healthy individuals regardless of sex. This convergence in function differs from the sex-based differences observed in many respiratory diseases. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) results mainly from episodes of upper airway closure. This complex and multifactorial respiratory disorder shows significant sexual dimorphism in its clinical manifestations and comorbidities. Guided by recent progress from basic research, this review discusses the hypothesis that stress is necessary to reveal the sexual dimorphism of SDB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Kinkead
- Department of Pediatrics, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, Québec G1V 4G5, Canada.
| | - Marianne Gagnon
- Department of Pediatrics, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, Québec G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Vincent Joseph
- Department of Pediatrics, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, Québec G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Frédéric Sériès
- Department of Medicine, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Danuzia Ambrozio-Marques
- Department of Pediatrics, Université Laval, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, Québec G1V 4G5, Canada
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122
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Sherman K, Woyach V, Eisenach JC, Hopp FA, Cao F, Hogan QH, Dean C. Heterogeneity in patterns of pain development after nerve injury in rats and the influence of sex. NEUROBIOLOGY OF PAIN (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2021; 10:100069. [PMID: 34381929 PMCID: PMC8339380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The genesis of neuropathic pain is complex, as sensory abnormalities may differ between patients with different or similar etiologies, suggesting mechanistic heterogeneity, a concept that is largely unexplored. Yet, data are usually grouped for analysis based on the assumption that they share the same underlying pathogenesis. Sex is a factor that may contribute to differences in pain responses. Neuropathic pain is more prevalent in female patients, but pre-clinical studies that can examine pain development in a controlled environment have typically failed to include female subjects. This study explored patterns of development of hyperalgesia-like behavior (HLB) induced by noxious mechanical stimulation in a neuropathic pain model (spared nerve injury, SNI) in both male and female rats, and autonomic dysfunction that is associated with chronic pain. HLB was analyzed across time, using both discrete mixture modeling and rules-based longitudinal clustering. Both methods identified similar groupings of hyperalgesia trajectories after SNI that were not evident when data were combined into groups by sex only. Within the same hyperalgesia development group, mixed models showed that development of HLB in females was delayed relative to males and reached a magnitude similar to or higher than males. The data also indicate that sympathetic tone (as indicated by heart rate variability) drops below pre-SNI level before or at the onset of development of HLB. This study classifies heterogeneity in individual development of HLB and identifies sexual dimorphism in the time course of development of neuropathic pain after nerve injury. Future studies addressing mechanisms underlying these differences could facilitate appropriate pain treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Sherman
- Research Division, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States
| | - Victoria Woyach
- Research Division, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin and Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - James C. Eisenach
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - Francis A. Hopp
- Research Division, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States
| | - Freddy Cao
- College of Nursing, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53222, United States
| | - Quinn H. Hogan
- Research Division, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin and Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
| | - Caron Dean
- Research Division, Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin and Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States
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123
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Astrocyte-Derived Thrombospondin Induces Cortical Synaptogenesis in a Sex-Specific Manner. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0014-21.2021. [PMID: 34266964 PMCID: PMC8328272 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0014-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulation of synaptic connectivity in the brain is vital to proper functioning and development of the CNS. Formation of neural networks in the CNS has been shown to be heavily influenced by astrocytes, which secrete factors, including thrombospondin (TSP) family proteins, that promote synaptogenesis. However, whether this process is different between males and females has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we found that cortical neurons purified from newborn male rats showed a significantly more robust synaptogenic response compared with female-derived cells when exposed to factors secreted from astrocytes. This difference was driven largely by the neuronal response to TSP2, which increased synapses in male neurons while showing no effect on female neurons. Blockade of endogenous 17β-estradiol (E2) production with letrozole normalized the TSP response between male and female cells, indicating a level of regulation by estrogen signaling. Our results suggest that male and female neurons show a divergent response to TSP synaptogenic signaling, contributing to sex differences in astrocyte-mediated synaptic connectivity.
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124
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Trova S, Bovetti S, Bonzano S, De Marchis S, Peretto P. Sex Steroids and the Shaping of the Peripubertal Brain: The Sexual-Dimorphic Set-Up of Adult Neurogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22157984. [PMID: 34360747 PMCID: PMC8347822 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones represent an amazing class of molecules that play pleiotropic roles in vertebrates. In mammals, during postnatal development, sex steroids significantly influence the organization of sexually dimorphic neural circuits underlying behaviors critical for survival, such as the reproductive one. During the last decades, multiple studies have shown that many cortical and subcortical brain regions undergo sex steroid-dependent structural organization around puberty, a critical stage of life characterized by high sensitivity to external stimuli and a profound structural and functional remodeling of the organism. Here, we first give an overview of current data on how sex steroids shape the peripubertal brain by regulating neuroplasticity mechanisms. Then, we focus on adult neurogenesis, a striking form of persistent structural plasticity involved in the control of social behaviors and regulated by a fine-tuned integration of external and internal cues. We discuss recent data supporting that the sex steroid-dependent peripubertal organization of neural circuits involves a sexually dimorphic set-up of adult neurogenesis that in turn could be relevant for sex-specific reproductive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Trova
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Torino, 10123 Turin, Italy; (S.T.); (S.B.); (S.B.); (S.D.M.)
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
| | - Serena Bovetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Torino, 10123 Turin, Italy; (S.T.); (S.B.); (S.B.); (S.D.M.)
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
| | - Sara Bonzano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Torino, 10123 Turin, Italy; (S.T.); (S.B.); (S.B.); (S.D.M.)
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia De Marchis
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Torino, 10123 Turin, Italy; (S.T.); (S.B.); (S.B.); (S.D.M.)
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Peretto
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (DBIOS), University of Torino, 10123 Turin, Italy; (S.T.); (S.B.); (S.B.); (S.D.M.)
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
- Correspondence:
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125
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Roesler R, Parent MB, LaLumiere RT, McIntyre CK. Amygdala-hippocampal interactions in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 184:107490. [PMID: 34302951 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Memories of emotionally arousing events tend to endure longer than other memories. This review compiles findings from several decades of research investigating the role of the amygdala in modulating memories of emotional experiences. Episodic memory is a kind of declarative memory that depends upon the hippocampus, and studies suggest that the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) modulates episodic memory consolidation through interactions with the hippocampus. Although many studies in rodents and imaging studies in humans indicate that the amygdala modulates memory consolidation and plasticity processes in the hippocampus, the anatomical pathways through which the amygdala affects hippocampal regions that are important for episodic memories were unresolved until recent optogenetic advances made it possible to visualize and manipulate specific BLA efferent pathways during memory consolidation. Findings indicate that the BLA influences hippocampal-dependent memories, as well as synaptic plasticity, histone modifications, gene expression, and translation of synaptic plasticity associated proteins in the hippocampus. More recent findings from optogenetic studies suggest that the BLA modulates spatial memory via projections to the medial entorhinal cortex, and that the frequency of activity in this pathway is a critical element of this modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Roesler
- Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, Experimental Research Center, Clinical Hospital (CPE-HCPA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500 (ICBS, Campus Centro/UFRGS), 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Marise B Parent
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Ryan T LaLumiere
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | - Christa K McIntyre
- School of Behavior and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080-3021, USA.
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126
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Granocchio E, De Salvatore M, Bonanomi E, Sarti D. Sex-related differences in reading achievement. J Neurosci Res 2021; 101:668-678. [PMID: 34240762 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 40 years, ever-growing interest in sex-related differences in the human brain has led to a vast amount of literature on the subject, a small part of which relates to studies of differences in the ability to read. The data concerning typically developing children mainly come from school-based screening projects (Programme for International Student Assessment, INVALSI) and partially from the standardization of reading tests. These have revealed the existence of a gap in favor of females that primarily appears during adolescence and in situations of sociocultural disadvantage, usually explained on the basis of environmental factors such as socioeconomic status and gender-based education. Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is significantly more prevalent among males, a difference that neuroimaging and genetic studies have attributed to the presence of hormone-related protective factors in females, although it has been hypothesized that a different neurocognitive substrate may also be involved. However, the literature on the subject is still limited, and further studies of the interactions between genetic risk, environmental factors, and brain phenotypes are needed to clarify why females are better at performing reading tasks and less susceptible to dyslexia, regardless of their language or the educational system in the country in which they live. The aim of this mini-review was to describe the studies that have investigated sex-related differences in reading ability in both typically and atypically developing subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Granocchio
- Developmental Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Marinella De Salvatore
- Developmental Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Bonanomi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Sarti
- Developmental Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
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127
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Inkster AM, Fernández-Boyano I, Robinson WP. Sex Differences Are Here to Stay: Relevance to Prenatal Care. J Clin Med 2021; 10:3000. [PMID: 34279482 PMCID: PMC8268816 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10133000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences exist in the incidence and presentation of many pregnancy complications, including but not limited to pregnancy loss, spontaneous preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction. Sex differences arise very early in development due to differential gene expression from the X and Y chromosomes, and later may also be influenced by the action of gonadal steroid hormones. Though offspring sex is not considered in most prenatal diagnostic or therapeutic strategies currently in use, it may be beneficial to consider sex differences and the associated mechanisms underlying pregnancy complications. This review will cover (i) the prevalence and presentation of sex differences that occur in perinatal complications, particularly with a focus on the placenta; (ii) possible mechanisms underlying the development of sex differences in placental function and pregnancy phenotypes; and (iii) knowledge gaps that should be addressed in the development of diagnostic or risk prediction tools for such complications, with an emphasis on those for which it would be important to consider sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M. Inkster
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; (A.M.I.); (I.F.-B.)
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Icíar Fernández-Boyano
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; (A.M.I.); (I.F.-B.)
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Wendy P. Robinson
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; (A.M.I.); (I.F.-B.)
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
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128
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Dib R, Gervais NJ, Mongrain V. A review of the current state of knowledge on sex differences in sleep and circadian phenotypes in rodents. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms 2021; 11:100068. [PMID: 34195482 PMCID: PMC8240025 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbscr.2021.100068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is a vital part of our lives as it is required to maintain health and optimal cognition. In humans, sex differences are relatively well-established for many sleep phenotypes. However, precise differences in sleep phenotypes between male and female rodents are less documented. The main goal of this article is to review sex differences in sleep architecture and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during wakefulness and sleep in rodents. The effects of acute sleep deprivation on sleep duration and EEG activity in male and female rodents will also be covered, in addition to sex differences in specific circadian phenotypes. When possible, the contribution of the female estrous cycle to the observed differences between males and females will be described. In general, male rodents spend more time in non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) in comparison to females, while other differences between sexes in sleep phenotypes are species- and estrous cycle phase-dependent. Altogether, the review illustrates the need for a sex-based perspective in basic sleep and circadian research, including the consideration of sex chromosomes and gonadal hormones in sleep and circadian phenotypes. In rodents, males spend less time awake, and more time in NREMS than females. The recovery from sleep deprivation is also dependent on biological sex. Gonadal hormones modulate sleep and circadian phenotypes in rodents. A more systematic comparison of sex in basic sleep/circadian research is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rama Dib
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-NIM), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicole J Gervais
- Rotman Research Institute - Baycrest Centre, North York, ON, Canada
| | - Valérie Mongrain
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-NIM), Montréal, QC, Canada
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129
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Tenorio-Lopes L, Kinkead R. Sex-Specific Effects of Stress on Respiratory Control: Plasticity, Adaptation, and Dysfunction. Compr Physiol 2021; 11:2097-2134. [PMID: 34107062 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c200022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
As our understanding of respiratory control evolves, we appreciate how the basic neurobiological principles of plasticity discovered in other systems shape the development and function of the respiratory control system. While breathing is a robust homeostatic function, there is growing evidence that stress disrupts respiratory control in ways that predispose to disease. Neonatal stress (in the form of maternal separation) affects "classical" respiratory control structures such as the peripheral O2 sensors (carotid bodies) and the medulla (e.g., nucleus of the solitary tract). Furthermore, early life stress disrupts the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH), a structure that has emerged as a primary determinant of the intensity of the ventilatory response to hypoxia. Although underestimated, the PVH's influence on respiratory function is a logical extension of the hypothalamic control of metabolic demand and supply. In this article, we review the functional and anatomical links between the stress neuroendocrine axis and the medullary network regulating breathing. We then present the persistent and sex-specific effects of neonatal stress on respiratory control in adult rats. The similarities between the respiratory phenotype of stressed rats and clinical manifestations of respiratory control disorders such as sleep-disordered breathing and panic attacks are remarkable. These observations are in line with the scientific consensus that the origins of adult disease are often found among developmental and biological disruptions occurring during early life. These observations bring a different perspective on the structural hierarchy of respiratory homeostasis and point to new directions in our understanding of the etiology of respiratory control disorders. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1-38, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana Tenorio-Lopes
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Richard Kinkead
- Département de Pédiatrie, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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130
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Wang J, Lan Y, He L, Tang R, Li Y, Huang Y, Liang S, Gao Z, Price M, Yue B, He M, Guo T, Fan Z. Sex-specific gene expression in the blood of four primates. Genomics 2021; 113:2605-2613. [PMID: 34116169 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Blood is an important non-reproductive tissue, but little is known about the sex-specific gene expressions in the blood. Therefore, we investigated sex-specific gene expression differences in the blood tissues of four primates, rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), Tibetan macaques (M. thibetana), yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), and humans. We identified seven sex-specific differentially expressed genes (SDEGs) in each non-human primate and 31 SDEGs in humans. The four primates had only one common SDEG, MAP7D2. In humans, immune-related SDEGs were identified as up-regulated, but also down-regulated in females. We also found that most of the X-Y gene pairs had similar expression levels between species, except pair EIF1AY/EIF1AX. The expression level of X-Y gene pairs of rhesus and Tibetan macaques showed no significant differential expression levels, while humans had six significant XY-biased and three XX-biased X-Y gene pairs. Our observed sex differences in blood should increase understanding of sex differences in primate blood tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Yue Lan
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Lewei He
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Ruixiang Tang
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuhui Li
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610052, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Medical Laboratory Department of West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan, China
| | - Shan Liang
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610052, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhan Gao
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610052, Sichuan, China
| | - Megan Price
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China.
| | - Bisong Yue
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology on Endangered Wildlife, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan, China.
| | - Miao He
- Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610052, Sichuan, China.
| | - Tao Guo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
| | - Zhenxin Fan
- Key Laboratory of Bioresources and Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China.
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131
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Leung E, Hazrati LN. Breast cancer type 1 and neurodegeneration: consequences of deficient DNA repair. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab117. [PMID: 34222870 PMCID: PMC8242133 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous cellular processes, including toxic protein aggregation and oxidative stress, have been studied extensively as potential mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. However, limited therapeutic efficacy targeting these processes has prompted other mechanisms to be explored. Previous research has emphasized a link between cellular senescence and neurodegeneration, where senescence induced by excess DNA damage and deficient DNA repair results in structural and functional changes that ultimately contribute to brain dysfunction and increased vulnerability for neurodegeneration. Specific DNA repair proteins, such as breast cancer type 1, have been associated with both stress-induced senescence and neurodegenerative diseases, however, specific mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this review explores DNA damage-induced senescence in the brain as a driver of neurodegeneration, with particular focus on breast cancer type 1, and its potential contribution to sex-specific differences associated with neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Leung
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 Kings College Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Lili-Naz Hazrati
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 Kings College Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
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132
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Castellazzi M, Ferri C, Alfiero S, Lombardo I, Laudisi M, Tecilla G, Boni M, Pizzicotti S, Fainardi E, Bellini T, Pugliatti M. Sex-Related Differences in Cerebrospinal Fluid Plasma-Derived Proteins of Neurological Patients. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11050884. [PMID: 34065720 PMCID: PMC8156001 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11050884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and aims: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein content presents a sexual dimorphism in humans. We investigated sex-related differences in CSF IgG levels and in the quantification of intrathecal IgG synthesis (IIS). Methods: CSF, serum albumin and IgG were measured in 1519 neurological patients and both linear and hyperbolic formulas were used for the quantification of IIS. CSF-restricted oligoclonal IgG bands (OCBs) were used as “gold standard”. Results: The linear IgG Index showed a weak agreement with OCBs in males and females (k = 0.559, k = 0.587, respectively), while the hyperbolic Reiber’s formulas had a moderate agreement with OCBs in females (k = 0.635) and a weak agreement in males (k = 0.565). Higher CSF albumin and IgG levels were found in men than in women in the whole population and in subjects without IIS after adjusting for age and for serum concentrations of albumin and IgG, respectively (Quade statistics, p < 0.000001). CSF and serum albumin and IgG levels positively correlated to age in both sexes. CSF total protein content did not correlate with CSF leukocyte numbers but was higher in patients with marked pleocytosis. Conclusions: In neurological patients, men have higher levels of CSF serum-derived proteins, such as albumin and IgG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Castellazzi
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
- Interdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0532-236388
| | - Caterina Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
| | - Sarah Alfiero
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
| | - Ilenia Lombardo
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
| | - Michele Laudisi
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
| | - Ginevra Tecilla
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
| | - Michela Boni
- Chemical-Clinical Analysis Laboratory, “S. Anna” University Hospital, 44124 Ferrara, Italy; (M.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Stefano Pizzicotti
- Chemical-Clinical Analysis Laboratory, “S. Anna” University Hospital, 44124 Ferrara, Italy; (M.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Enrico Fainardi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy;
| | - Tiziana Bellini
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
- Interdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
- University Center for Studies on Gender Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Maura Pugliatti
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (C.F.); (S.A.); (I.L.); (M.L.); (G.T.); (T.B.); (M.P.)
- Interdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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133
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Abnormal subgenual anterior cingulate circuitry is unique to women but not men with chronic pain. Pain 2021; 162:97-108. [PMID: 32773597 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) plays an important role in pain modulation. We previously demonstrated sex differences in sgACC functional connectivity (FC) in healthy individuals. Given that many chronic pain conditions show sex differences in prevalence, here we tested the hypothesis that people with chronic pain exhibit a sex-specific pattern of abnormal sgACC FC. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 156 (82 W: 74 M) healthy participants and 38 (19 W: 19 M) people with chronic low back pain resulting from ankylosing spondylitis, a condition that predominantly affects men. We confirmed that there are sex differences in sgACC FC in our large cohort of healthy adults; women had greater sgACC FC with the precuneus, a key node of the default mode network, and men had greater sgACC FC with the posterior insula and the operculum. Next, we identified an interaction effect between sex and pain status (healthy/chronic pain) for sgACC FC. Within the chronic pain group, women had greater sgACC FC than men to the default mode and sensorimotor networks. Compared to healthy women, women with chronic pain also had greater sgACC FC to the precuneus and lower FC to the hippocampus and frontal regions. No differences in sgACC FC were seen in men with vs without chronic pain. Our findings indicate that abnormal sgACC circuitry is unique to women but not men with ankylosing spondylitis-related chronic pain. These sex differences may impact the benefit of therapeutics that target the sgACC for chronic pain.
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134
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Joye DAM, Evans JA. Sex differences in daily timekeeping and circadian clock circuits. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 126:45-55. [PMID: 33994299 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The circadian system regulates behavior and physiology in many ways important for health. Circadian rhythms are expressed by nearly every cell in the body, and this large system is coordinated by a central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Sex differences in daily rhythms are evident in humans and understanding how circadian function is modulated by biological sex is an important goal. This review highlights work examining effects of sex and gonadal hormones on daily rhythms, with a focus on behavior and SCN circuitry in animal models commonly used in pre-clinical studies. Many questions remain in this area of the field, which would benefit from further work investigating this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A M Joye
- Marquette University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jennifer A Evans
- Marquette University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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135
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Wahlstrom KL, Alvarez-Dieppa AC, McIntyre CK, LaLumiere RT. The medial entorhinal cortex mediates basolateral amygdala effects on spatial memory and downstream activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein expression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1172-1182. [PMID: 33007779 PMCID: PMC8115646 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00875-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) modulates the consolidation of dorsal hippocampus (DH)-dependent spatial and dorsolateral striatum (DLS)-dependent cued-response memories, often in competition with one another. Evidence suggests that a critical mechanism for BLA influences on memory consolidation is via effects on activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (ARC) in downstream brain regions. However, the circuitry by which the BLA modulates ARC in multiple competing memory systems remains unclear. Prior evidence indicates that optogenetic stimulation of BLA projections to the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC) enhances the consolidation of spatial learning and impairs the consolidation of cued-response learning, suggesting this pathway provides a circuit for favoring one system over another. Therefore, we hypothesized the BLA-mEC pathway mediates effects on downstream ARC-based synaptic plasticity related to these competing memory systems. To address this, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent spatial or cued-response Barnes maze training and, 45 min later, were sacrificed for ARC analysis in synaptoneurosomes from the DH and DLS. Initial experiments found that spatial training alone increased ARC levels in the DH above those observed in control rats and rats that underwent a cued-response version of the task. Postspatial training optogenetic stimulation of the BLA-mEC pathway altered the balance of ARC expression in the DH vs. DLS, specifically shifting the balance in favor of the DH-based spatial memory system, although the precise region of ARC changes differed by sex. These findings suggest that BLA-mEC pathway influences on ARC in downstream regions are a mechanism by which the BLA can favor one memory system over another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista L. Wahlstrom
- grid.214572.70000 0004 1936 8294Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Amanda C. Alvarez-Dieppa
- grid.267323.10000 0001 2151 7939School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas-Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080 USA
| | - Christa K. McIntyre
- grid.267323.10000 0001 2151 7939School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas-Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080 USA
| | - Ryan T. LaLumiere
- grid.214572.70000 0004 1936 8294Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA ,grid.214572.70000 0004 1936 8294Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
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136
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Chabrun F, Dieu X, May-Panloup P, Chupin S, Bourreau J, Henrion D, Letournel F, Procaccio V, Bonneau D, Lenaers G, Mirebeau-Prunier D, Chao de la Barca JM, Reynier P. Metabolomic Sexual Dimorphism of the Mouse Brain is Predominantly Abolished by Gonadectomy with a Higher Impact on Females. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:2772-2779. [PMID: 33851846 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The importance of sexual dimorphism of the mouse brain metabolome was recently highlighted, in addition to a high regional specificity found between the frontal cortex, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. To address the origin of this dimorphism, we performed gonadectomy on both sexes, followed by a metabolomic study targeting 188 metabolites in the three brain regions. While sham controls, which underwent the same surgical procedure without gonadectomy, reproduced the regional sexual dimorphism of the metabolome previously identified, no sex difference was identifiable after gonadectomy, through both univariate and multivariate analyses. These experiments also made it possible to identify which sex was responsible for the dimorphism for 35 metabolites. The female sex contributed to the difference for more than 80% of them. Our results show that gonads are the main contributors to the brain sexual dimorphism previously observed, especially in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floris Chabrun
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Xavier Dieu
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Pascale May-Panloup
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France.,Département de Biologie de la Reproduction, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Stéphanie Chupin
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Jennifer Bourreau
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Daniel Henrion
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Franck Letournel
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Neuropathologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MINT, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6021, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1066, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Vincent Procaccio
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Dominique Bonneau
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Guy Lenaers
- Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Delphine Mirebeau-Prunier
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Juan Manuel Chao de la Barca
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
| | - Pascal Reynier
- Département de Biochimie et Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 49933 Angers, France.,Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) MITOVASC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 6015, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1083, Université d'Angers, 49933 Angers, France
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137
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Shansky RM, Murphy AZ. Considering sex as a biological variable will require a global shift in science culture. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:457-464. [PMID: 33649507 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00806-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
For over half a century, male rodents have been the default model organism in preclinical neuroscience research, a convention that has likely contributed to higher rates of misdiagnosis and adverse side effects from drug treatment in women. Studying both sexes could help to rectify these public health problems, but incentive structures in publishing and career advancement deter many researchers from doing so. Moreover, funding agency directives to include male and female animals and human participants in grant proposals lack mechanisms to hold recipients accountable. In this Perspective, we highlight areas of behavioral, cellular and systems neuroscience in which fundamental sex differences have been identified, demonstrating that truly rigorous science must include males and females. We call for a cultural and structural change in how we conduct research and evaluate scientific progress, realigning our professional reward systems and experimental standards to produce a more equitable, representative and therefore translational body of knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne Z Murphy
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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138
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Abstract
Animal models of addictive behaviors are useful for uncovering neural mechanisms involved in the development of dependence and for identifying risk factors for drug abuse. One such risk factor is biological sex, which strongly moderates drug self-administration behavior in rodents. Female rodents are more likely to acquire drug self-administration behaviors, consume higher amounts of drug, and reinstate drug-seeking behavior more readily. Despite this female vulnerability, preclinical addiction research has largely been done in male animals. The study of sex differences in rodent models of addictive behavior is increasing, however, as more investigators are choosing to include both male and female animals in experiments. This commentary is meant to serve as an introductory guide for preclinical investigators new to the study of sex differences in addiction. We provide an overview of self-administration models, a broad view of female versus male self-administration behaviors, and suggestions for study design and implementation. Inclusion of female subjects in preclinical addiction research is timely, as problem drug and alcohol use in women is increasing. With proper attention, design, and analysis, the study of sex differences in addiction has the potential to uncover novel neural mechanisms and lead to greater translational success for addiction research. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
| | - Elizabeth A. Sneddon
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
| | - Sean C. Monroe
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
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139
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Anindyajati G, Wiguna T, Murtani BJ, Christian H, Wigantara NA, Putra AA, Hanafi E, Minayati K, Ismail RI, Kaligis F, Savitri AI, Uiterwaal CSPM, Diatri H. Anxiety and Its Associated Factors During the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:634585. [PMID: 33790817 PMCID: PMC8006395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.634585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel coronavirus which has not been identified previously in humans. The disease leads to respiratory problems, systemic disorders, and death. To stop the virus transmission, physical distancing was strongly implemented, including working and school from home (WFH & SFH). The limitation altered daily routines and needs advanced to adapt. Many have felt uncomfortable and this could have triggered anxiety symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the proportion of significant anxiety symptoms and its association with COVID-19-related situations in an Indonesian context during the initial months of the pandemic. Methods: An online community survey was distributed through social media and communication platforms, mainly WhatsApp, targeting people >18 years old in Indonesia. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (Indonesian Version). Demographical data and information on social situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic were collected. The proportion of clinically significant anxiety symptoms was calculated and the association with demographic and social factors was assessed using chi square test (χ2) and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Results: Out of 1215 subjects that completed the survey, 20.2% (n = 245) exhibited significant anxiety symptoms. Several factors, such as age (AOR = 0.933 CI 95% = 0.907-0.96), sex (AOR = 1.612 CI 95% = 1.097-2.369), medical workers (AOR = 0.209 CI 95% = 0.061-0.721), suspected case of COVID-19 (AOR = 1.786 CI 95% = 1.001-3.186), satisfaction level of family support (AOR = 3.052 CI 95% = 1.883-4.946), and satisfaction level of co-workers (AOR = 2.523 CI 95% = 1.395-4.562), were associated with anxiety. Conclusion: One out of five Indonesian people could have suffered from anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The riskiest group being young females, people who had suspected cases of COVID-19, and those with less satisfying social support. Nevertheless, health workers were found to have a lesser risk of developing anxiety. Accessible information and healthcare, social connection, supportive environment, and mental health surveillance are important to prevent bigger psychiatric problems post-pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Anindyajati
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Tjhin Wiguna
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Belinda Julivia Murtani
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Hans Christian
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Ngurah Agung Wigantara
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Anggi Aviandri Putra
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Enjeline Hanafi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Kusuma Minayati
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Raden Irawati Ismail
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Fransiska Kaligis
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Ary I. Savitri
- The Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Cuno S. P. M. Uiterwaal
- Julius Global Health/Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Hervita Diatri
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia—Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
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140
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Alshammari TK. Sexual dimorphism in pre-clinical studies of depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 105:110120. [PMID: 33002519 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Although there is a sex bias in the pathological mechanisms exhibited by brain disorders, investigation of the female brain in biomedical science has long been neglected. Use of the male model has generally been the preferred option as the female animal model exhibits both biological variability and hormonal fluctuations. Existing studies that compare behavioral and/or molecular alterations in animal models of brain diseases are generally underrepresented, and most utilize the male model. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a trend toward the increased inclusion of females in brain studies. However, current knowledge regarding sex-based differences in depression and stress-related disorders is limited. This can be improved by reviewing preclinical studies that highlight sex differences in depression. This paper therefore presents a review of sex-based preclinical studies of depression. These shed light on the discrepancies between males and females regarding the biological mechanisms that underpin mechanistic alterations in the diseased brain. This review also highlights the conclusions drawn by preclinical studies to advance our understanding of mood disorders, encouraging researchers to promote ways of investigating and managing sexually dimorphic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahani K Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy College, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia; Prince Naïf Bin Abdul-Aziz Health Research Center, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
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141
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Proverbio AM. Sex differences in the social brain and in social cognition. J Neurosci Res 2021; 101:730-738. [PMID: 33608982 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have reported sex differences in empathy and social skills. In this review, several lines of empirical evidences about sex differences in functions and anatomy of social brain are discussed. The most relevant differences involve face processing, facial expression recognition, response to baby schema, the ability to see faces in things, the processing of social interactions, the response to the others' pain, interest in social information, processing of gestures and actions, biological motion, erotic, and affective stimuli. Sex differences in oxytocin-based parental response are also reported. In conclusion, the female and male brains show several neuro-functional differences in various aspects of social cognition, and especially in emotional coding, face processing, and response to baby schema. An interpretation of this sexual dimorphism is provided in the view of evolutionary psychobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mado Proverbio
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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142
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Dump the "dimorphism": Comprehensive synthesis of human brain studies reveals few male-female differences beyond size. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:667-697. [PMID: 33621637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
With the explosion of neuroimaging, differences between male and female brains have been exhaustively analyzed. Here we synthesize three decades of human MRI and postmortem data, emphasizing meta-analyses and other large studies, which collectively reveal few reliable sex/gender differences and a history of unreplicated claims. Males' brains are larger than females' from birth, stabilizing around 11 % in adults. This size difference accounts for other reproducible findings: higher white/gray matter ratio, intra- versus interhemispheric connectivity, and regional cortical and subcortical volumes in males. But when structural and lateralization differences are present independent of size, sex/gender explains only about 1% of total variance. Connectome differences and multivariate sex/gender prediction are largely based on brain size, and perform poorly across diverse populations. Task-based fMRI has especially failed to find reproducible activation differences between men and women in verbal, spatial or emotion processing due to high rates of false discovery. Overall, male/female brain differences appear trivial and population-specific. The human brain is not "sexually dimorphic."
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143
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Triviño JJ, von Bernhardi R. The effect of aged microglia on synaptic impairment and its relevance in neurodegenerative diseases. Neurochem Int 2021; 144:104982. [PMID: 33556444 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.104982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microglia serve key functions in the central nervous system (CNS), participating in the establishment and regulation of synapses and the neuronal network, and regulating activity-dependent plastic changes. As the neuroimmune system, they respond to endogenous and exogenous signals to protect the CNS. In aging, one of the main changes is the establishment of inflamm-aging, a mild chronic inflammation that reduces microglial response to stressors. Neuroinflammation depends mainly on the increased activation of microglia. Microglia over-activation may result in a reduced capacity for performing normal functions related to migration, clearance, and the adoption of an anti-inflammatory state, contributing to an increased susceptibility for neurodegeneration. Oxidative stress contributes both to aging and to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neuroinflammation associated with age- and disease-dependent mechanisms affect synaptic activity and neurotransmission, leading to cognitive dysfunction. Astrocytes prevent microglial cell cytotoxicity by mechanisms mediated by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1). However, TGFβ1-Smad3 pathway is impaired in aging, and the age-related impairment of TGFβ signaling can reduce protective activation while facilitating cytotoxic activation of microglia. A critical analysis on the effect of aging microglia on neuronal function is relevant for the understanding of age-related changes on neuronal function. Here, we present evidence in the context of the "microglial dysregulation hypothesis", which leads to the reduction of the protective functions and increased cytotoxicity of microglia, to discuss the mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative changes and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan José Triviño
- Department of Neurology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile School of Medicine, Laboratory of Neuroscience. Marcoleta 391, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rommy von Bernhardi
- Department of Neurology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile School of Medicine, Laboratory of Neuroscience. Marcoleta 391, Santiago, Chile; Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad San Sebastián, Lota 2465, Santiago, Chile.
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144
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Meeh KL, Rickel CT, Sansano AJ, Shirangi TR. The development of sex differences in the nervous system and behavior of flies, worms, and rodents. Dev Biol 2021; 472:75-84. [PMID: 33484707 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how sex differences in innate animal behaviors arise has long fascinated biologists. As a general rule, the potential for sex differences in behavior is built by the developmental actions of sex-specific hormones or regulatory proteins that direct the sexual differentiation of the nervous system. In the last decade, studies in several animal systems have uncovered neural circuit mechanisms underlying discrete sexually dimorphic behaviors. Moreover, how certain hormones and regulatory proteins implement the sexual differentiation of these neural circuits has been illuminated in tremendous detail. Here, we discuss some of these mechanisms with three case-studies-mate recognition in flies, maturation of mating behavior in worms, and play-fighting behavior in young rodents. These studies illustrate general and unique developmental mechanisms to establish sex differences in neuroanatomy and behavior and highlight future challenges for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L Meeh
- Villanova University, Department of Biology, 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA
| | - Clare T Rickel
- Villanova University, Department of Biology, 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA
| | - Alexander J Sansano
- Villanova University, Department of Biology, 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA
| | - Troy R Shirangi
- Villanova University, Department of Biology, 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA.
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145
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Gaillard A, Fehring DJ, Rossell SL. Sex differences in executive control: A systematic review of functional neuroimaging studies. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:2592-2611. [PMID: 33423339 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The number of studies investigating sex differences in executive functions, particularly those using human functional neuroimaging techniques, has risen dramatically in the past decade. However, the influences of sex on executive function are still underexplored and poorly characterized. To address this, we conducted a systematic literature review of functional neuroimaging studies investigating sex differences in three prominent executive control domains of cognitive set-shifting, performance monitoring, and response inhibition. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were systematically searched. Following the application of exclusion criteria, 21 studies were included, with a total of 677 females and 686 males. Ten of these studies were fMRI and PET, eight were EEG, and three were NIRS. At present, there is evidence for sex differences in the neural networks underlying all tasks of executive control included in this review suggesting males and females engage different strategies depending on task demands. There was one task exception, the 2-Back task, which showed no sex differences. Due to methodological variability and the involvement of multiple neural networks, a simple overarching statement with regard to gender differences during executive control cannot be provided. As such, we discuss limitations within the current literature and methodological considerations that should be employed in future research. Importantly, sex differences in neural mechanisms are present in the majority of tasks assessed, and thus should not be ignored in future research. PROSPERO registration information: CRD42019124772.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Gaillard
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC., Australia
| | - Daniel J Fehring
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC., Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Clayton, VIC., Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC., Australia.,Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC., Australia
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146
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Divergent Strategies for Learning in Males and Females. Curr Biol 2021; 31:39-50.e4. [PMID: 33125868 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
A frequent assumption in value-based decision-making tasks is that agents make decisions based on the feature dimension that reward probabilities vary on. However, in complex, multidimensional environments, stimuli can vary on multiple dimensions at once, meaning that the feature deserving the most credit for outcomes is not always obvious. As a result, individuals may vary in the strategies used to sample stimuli across dimensions, and these strategies may have an unrecognized influence on decision-making. Sex is a proxy for multiple genetic and endocrine influences on behavior, including how environments are sampled. In this study, we examined the strategies adopted by female and male mice as they learned the value of stimuli that varied in both image and location in a visually cued two-armed bandit, allowing two possible dimensions to learn about. Female mice acquired the correct image-value associations more quickly than male mice, preferring a fundamentally different strategy. Female mice were more likely to constrain their decision-space early in learning by preferentially sampling one location over which images varied. Conversely, male mice were more likely to be inconsistent, changing their choice frequently and responding to the immediate experience of stochastic rewards. Individual strategies were related to sex-biased changes in neuronal activation in early learning. Together, we find that in mice, sex is associated with divergent strategies for sampling and learning about the world, revealing substantial unrecognized variability in the approaches implemented during value-based decision making.
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147
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Roth TS, Samara I, Kret ME. Ultimate and proximate factors underlying sexual overperception bias: A reply to Lee et al. (2020). EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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148
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McGhee KE, Barbosa AJ, Bissell K, Darby NA, Foshee S. Maternal stress during pregnancy affects activity, exploration and potential dispersal of daughters in an invasive fish. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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149
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Austin SH, Harris RM, Booth AM, Lang AS, Farrar VS, Krause JS, Hallman TA, MacManes M, Calisi RM. Isolating the Role of Corticosterone in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Transcriptomic Stress Response. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:632060. [PMID: 34149609 PMCID: PMC8207517 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.632060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigation of the negative impacts of stress on reproduction has largely centered around the effects of the adrenal steroid hormone, corticosterone (CORT), and its influence on a system of tissues vital for reproduction-the hypothalamus of the brain, the pituitary gland, and the gonads (the HPG axis). Research on the action of CORT on the HPG axis has predominated the stress and reproductive biology literature, potentially overshadowing other influential mediators. To gain a more complete understanding of how elevated CORT affects transcriptomic activity of the HPG axis, we experimentally examined its role in male and female rock doves (Columba livia). We exogenously administrated CORT to mimic circulating levels during the stress response, specifically 30 min of restraint stress, an experimental paradigm known to increase circulating CORT in vertebrates. We examined all changes in transcription within each level of the HPG axis as compared to both restraint-stressed birds and vehicle-injected controls. We also investigated the differential transcriptomic response to CORT and restraint-stress in each sex. We report causal and sex-specific effects of CORT on the HPG transcriptomic stress response. Restraint stress caused 1567 genes to uniquely differentially express while elevated circulating CORT was responsible for the differential expression of 304 genes. Only 108 genes in females and 8 in males differentially expressed in subjects that underwent restraint stress and those who were given exogenous CORT. In response to elevated CORT and restraint-stress, both sexes shared the differential expression of 5 genes, KCNJ5, CISH, PTGER3, CEBPD, and ZBTB16, all located in the pituitary. The known functions of these genes suggest potential influence of elevated CORT on immune function and prolactin synthesis. Gene expression unique to each sex indicated that elevated CORT affected more gene transcription in females than males (78 genes versus 3 genes, respectively). To our knowledge, this is the first study to isolate the role of CORT in HPG genomic transcription during a stress response. We present an extensive and openly accessible view of the role corticosterone in the HPG transcriptomic stress response. Because the HPG system is well conserved across vertebrates, these data have the potential to inspire new therapeutic strategies for reproductive dysregulation in multiple vertebrate systems, including our own.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne H. Austin
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Suzanne H. Austin,
| | - Rayna M. Harris
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - April M. Booth
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Andrew S. Lang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Victoria S. Farrar
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Jesse S. Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Tyler A. Hallman
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Matthew MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Rebecca M. Calisi
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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150
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Merz EC, Monk C, Bansal R, Sawardekar S, Lee S, Feng T, Spann M, Foss S, McDonough L, Werner E, Peterson BS. Neonatal brain metabolite concentrations: Associations with age, sex, and developmental outcomes. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0243255. [PMID: 33332379 PMCID: PMC7746171 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Age and sex differences in brain metabolite concentrations in early life are not well understood. We examined the associations of age and sex with brain metabolite levels in healthy neonates, and investigated the associations between neonatal brain metabolite concentrations and developmental outcomes. Forty-one infants (36–42 gestational weeks at birth; 39% female) of predominantly Hispanic/Latina mothers (mean 18 years of age) underwent MRI scanning approximately two weeks after birth. Multiplanar chemical shift imaging was used to obtain voxel-wise maps of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine, and choline concentrations across the brain. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, a measure of cognitive, language, and motor skills, and mobile conjugate reinforcement paradigm, a measure of learning and memory, were administered at 4 months of age. Findings indicated that postmenstrual age correlated positively with NAA concentrations in multiple subcortical and white matter regions. Creatine and choline concentrations showed similar but less pronounced age related increases. Females compared with males had higher metabolite levels in white matter and subcortical gray matter. Neonatal NAA concentrations were positively associated with learning and negatively associated with memory at 4 months. Age-related increases in NAA, creatine, and choline suggest rapid development of neuronal viability, cellular energy metabolism, and cell membrane turnover, respectively, during early life. Females may undergo earlier and more rapid regional developmental increases in the density of viable neurons compared to males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Merz
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Catherine Monk
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Ravi Bansal
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
- Institute for the Developing Mind, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Siddhant Sawardekar
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Seonjoo Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Tianshu Feng
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Marisa Spann
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Sophie Foss
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Laraine McDonough
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, New York, New York, United States of America
- City University of New York Graduate Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Werner
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Bradley S. Peterson
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
- Institute for the Developing Mind, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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