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Casto KV, Maney DL. Sex/gender diversity and behavioral neuroendocrinology in the 21st century. Horm Behav 2024; 163:105545. [PMID: 38744167 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen V Casto
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States of America
| | - Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Harvard-Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
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Joel D, Smith CJ, Veenema AH. Beyond the binary: Characterizing the relationships between sex and neuropeptide receptor binding density measures in the rat brain. Horm Behav 2024; 159:105471. [PMID: 38128247 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences exist in numerous parameters of the brain. Yet, sex-related factors are part of a large set of variables that interact to affect many aspects of brain structure and function. This raises questions regarding how to interpret findings of sex differences at the level of single brain measures and the brain as a whole. In the present study, we reanalyzed two datasets consisting of measures of oxytocin, vasopressin V1a, and mu opioid receptor binding densities in multiple brain regions in rats. At the level of single brain measures, we found that sex differences were rarely dimorphic and were largely persistent across estrous stage and parental status but not across age or context. At the level of aggregates of brain measures showing sex differences, we tested whether individual brains are 'mosaics' of female-typical and male-typical measures or are internally consistent, having either only female-typical or only male-typical measures. We found mosaicism for measures showing overlap between females and males. Mosaicism was higher a) with a larger number of measures, b) with smaller effect sizes of the sex difference in these measures, and c) in rats with more diverse life experiences. Together, these results highlight the limitations of the binary framework for interpreting sex effects on the brain and suggest two complementary pathways to studying the contribution of sex to brain function: (1) focusing on measures showing dimorphic and persistent sex differences and (2) exploring the relations between specific brain mosaics and specific endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Joel
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Caroline J Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
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Saguy T, Reifen-Tagar M, Joel D. The gender-binary cycle: the perpetual relations between a biological-essentialist view of gender, gender ideology, and gender-labelling and sorting. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200141. [PMID: 33612000 PMCID: PMC7934953 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gender inequality is one of the most pressing issues of our time. A core factor that feeds gender inequality is people's gender ideology-a set of beliefs about the proper order of society in terms of the roles women and men should fill. We argue that gender ideology is shaped, in large parts, by the way people make sense of gender differences. Specifically, people often think of gender differences as expressions of a predetermined biology, and of men and women as different 'kinds'. We describe work suggesting that thinking of gender differences in this biological-essentialist way perpetuates a non-egalitarian gender ideology. We then review research that refutes the hypothesis that men and women are different 'kinds' in terms of brain function, hormone levels and personality characteristics. Next, we describe how the organization of the environment in a gender-binary manner, together with cognitive processes of categorization drive a biological-essentialist view of gender differences. We then describe the self-perpetuating relations, which we term the gender-binary cycle, between a biological-essentialist view of gender differences, a non-egalitarian gender ideology and a binary organization of the environment along gender lines. Finally, we consider means of intervention at different points in this cycle. This article is part of the theme issue 'The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Saguy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
| | - Michal Reifen-Tagar
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, The Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
| | - Daphna Joel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Trejo-Sánchez I, Pérez-Monter C, Huerta-Pacheco S, Gutiérrez-Ospina G. Male Ejaculatory Endophenotypes: Revealing Internal Inconsistencies of the Concept in Heterosexual Copulating Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:90. [PMID: 32670030 PMCID: PMC7332778 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinct manifestations of sexual behavior are conceived as separate phenotypes. Each sexual phenotype is assumed to be associated with a characteristic brain. These notions have justified the phenotyping of heterosexual copulator males based upon their ejaculation's latencies (EL) or frequencies (i.e., cumulative ejaculation number; EN). For instance, men and male rats showing premature, normal or retarded ejaculation are assumed to be distinctive endophenotypes. This concept, nonetheless, contradicts past and recent evidence that supports that sexual behavior is highly variable within each sex, and that the brain sexual functional morphology represents an intricate sexual phenotypic mosaic. Hence, for ejaculatory male endophenotypes to be considered as a valid biological concept, it must show internal consistency at various levels of organization (including genetic architectures), after being challenged by intrinsic and/or extrinsic factors. We then judged the internal consistency of the presumed ejaculatory endophenotypes by assessing whether copulatory behavior and the expression of copulation relevant genes and brain limbic structures are specific to each of the presumed EL- or EN-ejaculatory endophenotypes. To do this, copulating male rats were first phenotyped in groups consistently displaying short, average or long ejaculation latencies or very high, high, average, low or very low EN, based in their copulatory performance. Then, the internal consistency of the presumed EL- or EN-endophenotypes was tested by introducing as covariates of phenotyping other copulatory parameters (e.g., number of intromissions) in addition to EL or EN, or by analyzing the expression levels of genes encoding for estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, aromatase, DNA methyl-transferase 3a and DNA methyl-transferase 1 in the amygdala, medial preoptic area, ventromedial hypothalamus and olfactory bulb. We found that even though there were group-level differences in all the variables that were studied, these differences did not add-up to create the presumed EL- or EN-ejaculatory endophenotypes. In fact, the extensive overlapping of copulatory parameters and expression levels of copulation relevant genes in limbic structures across EL- or EN-phenotyped copulating male rats, is not consistent with the hypothesis that distinct ejaculatory endophenotypes exist and that they are associated with specific brain characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itztli Trejo-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Biología de Sistemas, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Carlos Pérez-Monter
- Departamento de Gastroenterología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición “Salvador Zubirán”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sofía Huerta-Pacheco
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ciencia Forense, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gabriel Gutiérrez-Ospina
- Laboratorio de Biología de Sistemas, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Coordinación de Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Berman Z, Assaf Y, Tarrasch R, Joel D. Macro- and microstructural gray matter alterations in sexually assaulted women. J Affect Disord 2020; 262:196-204. [PMID: 31662209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies with trauma survivors documented structural alterations in brain regions involved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) neurocircuitry. Nonetheless, whether such alterations exist in women who were sexually assaulted in adulthood is not clear. We investigated the macro- and microstructure of key regions implicated in PTSD pathophysiology, namely the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula, in this population. METHODS Thirty-eight sexually assaulted women (PTSD, n = 25; non-PTSD, n = 13) and 24 non-exposed controls (NEC) were studied with T1- and diffusion-weighted MRI. Gray matter volume, mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated for each region. Between-group comparisons and correlations with PTSD symptom severity were performed. RESULTS Volumetric analyses revealed lower amygdala and insula volumes in the PTSD compared with the non-PTSD group. In contrast, altered microstructure was observed in both traumatized groups compared with NEC, including higher MD and lower FA in the right amygdala, and higher FA in the ACC bilaterally. Finally, the non-PTSD group had higher FA in the right insula compared with the PTSD group. PTSD symptom severity was correlated with amygdala and insula volumes, as well as with hippocampal FA and MD. LIMITATIONS Sample size may have led to reduced statistical power. CONCLUSIONS Sexual assault and the development of PTSD in women are linked with structural alterations in key regions implicated in PTSD following other trauma types (e.g., combat), though hippocampal and ACC volumes were preserved. Further studies are needed to disentangle the unique contribution of trauma type and of sex/gender to these observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohar Berman
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yaniv Assaf
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ricardo Tarrasch
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daphna Joel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Sex differences in cued fear responses and parvalbumin cell density in the hippocampus following repetitive concussive brain injuries in C57BL/6J mice. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222153. [PMID: 31487322 PMCID: PMC6728068 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is strong evidence to suggest a link between repeated head trauma and cognitive and emotional disorders, and Repetitive concussive brain injuries (rCBI) may also be a risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders. Animal models of brain injury afford the opportunity for controlled study of the effects of injury on functional outcomes. In this study, male and cycling female C57BL/6J mice sustained rCBI (3x) at 24-hr intervals and were tested in a context and cued fear conditioning paradigm, open field (OF), elevated zero maze and tail suspension test. All mice with rCBI showed less freezing behavior than sham control mice during the fear conditioning context test. Injured male, but not female mice also froze less in response to the auditory cue (tone). Injured mice were hyperactive in an OF environment and spent more time in the open quadrants of the elevated zero maze, suggesting decreased anxiety, but there were no differences between injured mice and sham-controls in depressive-like activity on the tail suspension test. Pathologically, injured mice showed increased astrogliosis in the injured cortex and white matter tracts (optic tracts and corpus callosum). There were no changes in the number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the cortex or amygdala, but injured male mice had fewer parvalbumin-positive neurons in the hippocampus. Parvalbumin-reactive interneurons of the hippocampus have been previously demonstrated to be involved in hippocampal-cortical interactions required for memory consolidation, and it is possible memory changes in the fear-conditioning paradigm following rCBI are the result of more subtle imbalances in excitation and inhibition both within the amygdala and hippocampus, and between more widespread brain regions that are injured following a diffuse brain injury.
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Choleris E, Galea LAM, Sohrabji F, Frick KM. Sex differences in the brain: Implications for behavioral and biomedical research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 85:126-145. [PMID: 29287628 PMCID: PMC5751942 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Biological differences between males and females are found at multiple levels. However, females have too often been under-represented in behavioral neuroscience research, which has stymied the study of potential sex differences in neurobiology and behavior. This review focuses on the study of sex differences in the neurobiology of social behavior, memory, emotions, and recovery from brain injury, with particular emphasis on the role of estrogens in regulating forebrain function. This work, presented by the authors at the 2016 meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, emphasizes varying approaches from several mammalian species in which sex differences have not only been documented, but also become the focus of efforts to understand the mechanistic basis underlying them. This information may provide readers with useful experimental tools to successfully address recently introduced regulations by granting agencies that either require (e.g. the National Institutes of Health in the United States and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in Canada) or recommend (e.g. Horizon 2020 in Europe) the inclusion of both sexes in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, MacKinnon Bldg. Room 4020, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z3, Canada
| | - Farida Sohrabji
- Women's Health in Neuroscience Program, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine, Bryan, TX 77807, United States
| | - Karyn M Frick
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States
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Immune activation in lactating dams alters sucklings' brain cytokines and produces non-overlapping behavioral deficits in adult female and male offspring: A novel neurodevelopmental model of sex-specific psychopathology. Brain Behav Immun 2017; 63:35-49. [PMID: 28189716 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2017.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Early immune activation (IA) in rodents, prenatal through the mother or early postnatal directly to the neonate, is widely used to produce behavioral endophenotypes relevant to schizophrenia and depression. Given that maternal immune response plays a crucial role in the deleterious effects of prenatal IA, and lactation is a critical vehicle of immunological support to the neonate, we predicted that immune activation of the lactating dam will produce long-term abnormalities in the sucklings. Nursing dams were injected on postnatal day 4 with the viral mimic poly-I:C (4mg/kg) or saline. Cytokine assessment was performed in dams' plasma and milk 2h, and in the sucklings' hippocampus, 6h and 24h following poly-I:C injection. Male and female sucklings were assessed in adulthood for: a) performance on behavioral tasks measuring constructs considered relevant to schizophrenia (selective attention and executive control) and depression (despair and anhedonia); b) response to relevant pharmacological treatments; c) brain structural changes. Maternal poly-I:C injection caused cytokine alterations in the dams' plasma and milk, as well as in the sucklings' hippocampus. Lactational poly-I:C exposure led to sex-dimorphic (non-overlapping) behavioral abnormalities in the adult offspring, with male but not female offspring exhibiting attentional and executive function abnormalities (manifested in persistent latent inhibition and slow reversal) and hypodopaminergia, and female but not male offspring exhibiting despair and anhedonia (manifested in increased immobility in the forced swim test and reduced saccharine preference) and hyperdopaminergia, mimicking the known sex-bias in schizophrenia and depression. The behavioral double-dissociation predicted distinct pharmacological profiles, recapitulating the pharmacology of negative/cognitive symptoms and depression. In-vivo imaging revealed hippocampal and striatal volume reductions in both sexes, as found in both disorders. This is the first evidence for the emergence of long-term behavioral and brain abnormalities after lactational exposure to an inflammatory agent, supporting a causal link between early immune activation and disrupted neuropsychodevelopment. That such exposure produces schizophrenia- or depression-like phenotype depending on sex, resonates with notions that risk factors are transdiagnostic, and that sex is a susceptibility factor for neurodevelopmental psychopathologies.
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Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB. Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Front Psychol 2017; 8:551. [PMID: 28473783 PMCID: PMC5397480 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: While recent literature has shown that mindfulness training has positive effects on treating anxiety and depression, there has been virtually no research investigating whether effects differ across genders-despite the fact that men and women differ in clinically significant ways. The current study investigated whether college-based meditation training had different effects on negative affect for men and women. Methods: Seventy-seven university students (36 women, age = 20.7 ± 3.0 years) participated in 12-week courses with meditation training components. They completed self-report questionnaires of affect, mindfulness, and self-compassion before and after the course. Results: Compared to men, women showed greater decreases in negative affect and greater increases on scales measuring mindfulness and self-compassion. Women's improvements in negative affect were correlated to improvements in measures of both mindfulness skills and self-compassion. In contrast, men showed non-significant increases in negative affect, and changes in affect were only correlated with ability to describe emotions, not any measures of experiential or self-acceptance. Conclusion: These findings suggest that women may have more favorable responses than men to school-based mindfulness training, and that the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions may be maximized by gender-specific modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juan F. Santoyo
- Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown UniversityProvidence RI, USA
| | - Hadley Rahrig
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
| | - Harold D. Roth
- Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
- Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
| | - Willoughby B. Britton
- Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, ProvidenceRI, USA
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Hinchcliffe JK, Stuart SA, Mendl M, Robinson ESJ. Further validation of the affective bias test for predicting antidepressant and pro-depressant risk: effects of pharmacological and social manipulations in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:3105-3116. [PMID: 28735366 PMCID: PMC5597685 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4687-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Affective biases are hypothesised to contribute to the cause and treatment of mood disorders. We have previously found that affective biases, associated with learning and memory, are observed following acute treatments with a range of antidepressant and pro-depressant manipulations. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to test if similar biases are observed in male and female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. We also test whether the stress hormone, corticosterone, induces a negative bias in the affective bias test (ABT) consistent with its putative role in the development of depression. We then use a meta-analysis to compare our findings with data published for the Lister Hooded rats. METHODS The ABT uses a within-subject study design where animals learn to associate distinct digging substrates, encountered on different days, with the same value food reward. Exposure to one substrate is paired with a treatment manipulation (drug or environmental) and the other with a control condition. A preference test is used to test if the treatment has induced a positive or negative bias. RESULTS Consistent with previous data, both male and female SD rats exhibit similar positive affective biases following treatment with the antidepressant, venlafaxine, and social play and negative affective biases following FG 7142 (benzodiazepine inverse agonist) and social stress. Acute treatment with corticosterone induced a negative bias. CONCLUSIONS These data add to the translational validity of the ABT and suggest that corticosterone can induce a negative affective bias following acute treatment, an effect which may contribute to its long-term effects on mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna K. Hinchcliffe
- 0000 0004 1936 7603grid.5337.2School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD UK
| | - Sarah A. Stuart
- 0000 0004 1936 7603grid.5337.2School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD UK
| | - Michael Mendl
- 0000 0004 1936 7603grid.5337.2School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU UK
| | - Emma S. J. Robinson
- 0000 0004 1936 7603grid.5337.2School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD UK
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Kaczkurkin AN, Moore TM, Ruparel K, Ciric R, Calkins ME, Shinohara RT, Elliott MA, Hopson R, Roalf DR, Vandekar SN, Gennatas ED, Wolf DH, Scott JC, Pine DS, Leibenluft E, Detre JA, Foa EB, Gur RE, Gur RC, Satterthwaite TD. Elevated Amygdala Perfusion Mediates Developmental Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:775-785. [PMID: 27395327 PMCID: PMC5074881 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a critical period for emotional maturation and is a time when clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression increase, particularly in females. However, few studies relate developmental differences in symptoms of anxiety and depression to brain development. Cerebral blood flow is one brain phenotype that is known to have marked developmental sex differences. METHODS We investigated whether developmental sex differences in cerebral blood flow mediated sex differences in anxiety and depression symptoms by capitalizing on a large sample of 875 youths who completed cross-sectional imaging as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. Perfusion was quantified on a voxelwise basis using arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging at 3T. Perfusion images were related to trait and state anxiety using general additive models with penalized splines, while controlling for gray matter density on a voxelwise basis. Clusters found to be related to anxiety were evaluated for interactions with age, sex, and puberty. RESULTS Trait anxiety was associated with elevated perfusion in a network of regions including the amygdala, anterior insula, and fusiform cortex, even after accounting for prescan state anxiety. Notably, these relationships strengthened with age and the transition through puberty. Moreover, higher trait anxiety in postpubertal females was mediated by elevated perfusion of the left amygdala. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results demonstrate that differences in the evolution of cerebral perfusion during adolescence may be a critical element of the affective neurobiological characteristics underlying sex differences in anxiety and mood symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia N Kaczkurkin
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Tyler M Moore
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kosha Ruparel
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Rastko Ciric
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Monica E Calkins
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Russell T Shinohara
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark A Elliott
- Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ryan Hopson
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - David R Roalf
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Simon N Vandekar
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Efstathios D Gennatas
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Daniel H Wolf
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - J Cobb Scott
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion and Development Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - John A Detre
- Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Neurology,University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Edna B Foa
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Emotion and Development Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Theodore D Satterthwaite
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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12
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Pavlova MA. Sex and gender affect the social brain: Beyond simplicity. J Neurosci Res 2016; 95:235-250. [PMID: 27688155 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Revised: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marina A. Pavlova
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Medical School; Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
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Abstract
Swayed by the clear distinction between male and female genitalia, the question of how far these categories extend into human biology has attracted humans for centuries. This question is sometimes being framed as whether the effects of sex are restricted to the genital organs or penetrate the entire organism. Here I argue that the two questions are not equivalent and that whereas the answer to the question, how far sex penetrates the body, is – deep down to the level of every cell, the answer to the question, how far the categories, “male” and “female”, do, is – probably nowhere beyond the genitals. That the two questions are often used interchangeably reflects the prevailing conceptualization of sex as a dichotomous system or process that exerts profound effects on other systems (e.g., the brain), leading to sexual dimorphism (i.e., two forms, male versus female) also of these systems. Here I discuss the question of whether the effects of sex result in dimorphic systems, focusing on the case of sex effects on the brain. I show that although there are sex/gender differences in brain and behavior, humans and human brains are comprised of highly variable ‘mosaics’ of features, some more prevalent in females, others more prevalent in males.
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14
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Hedonic sensitivity to low-dose ketamine is modulated by gonadal hormones in a sex-dependent manner. Sci Rep 2016; 6:21322. [PMID: 26888470 PMCID: PMC4766854 DOI: 10.1038/srep21322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently reported a greater sensitivity of female rats to rapid antidepressant-like effects of ketamine compared to male rats, and that ovarian-derived estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) are essential for this response. However, to what extent testosterone may also contribute, and whether duration of response to ketamine is modulated in a sex- and hormone-dependent manner remains unclear. To explore this, we systematically investigated the influence of testosterone, estradiol and progesterone on initiation and maintenance of hedonic response to low-dose ketamine (2.5 mg/kg) in intact and gonadectomized male and female rats. Ketamine induced a sustained increase in sucrose preference of female, but not male, rats in an E2P4-dependent manner. Whereas testosterone failed to alter male treatment response, concurrent administration of P4 alone in intact males enhanced hedonic response low-dose ketamine. Treatment responsiveness in female rats only was associated with greater hippocampal BDNF levels, but not activation of key downstream signaling effectors. We provide novel evidence supporting activational roles for ovarian-, but not testicular-, derived hormones in mediating hedonic sensitivity to low-dose ketamine in female and male rats, respectively. Organizational differences may, in part, account for the persistence of sex differences following gonadectomy and selective involvement of BDNF in treatment response.
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15
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Joel D, Fausto-Sterling A. Beyond sex differences: new approaches for thinking about variation in brain structure and function. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150451. [PMID: 26833844 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the study of variation in brain structure and function that might relate to sex and gender, language matters because it frames our research questions and methods. In this article, we offer an approach to thinking about variation in brain structure and function that pulls us outside the sex differences formulation. We argue that the existence of differences between the brains of males and females does not unravel the relations between sex and the brain nor is it sufficient to characterize a population of brains. Such characterization is necessary for studying sex effects on the brain as well as for studying brain structure and function in general. Animal studies show that sex interacts with environmental, developmental and genetic factors to affect the brain. Studies of humans further suggest that human brains are better described as belonging to a single heterogeneous population rather than two distinct populations. We discuss the implications of these observations for studies of brain and behaviour in humans and in laboratory animals. We believe that studying sex effects in context and developing or adopting analytical methods that take into account the heterogeneity of the brain are crucial for the advancement of human health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Joel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel Sagol School of Neuoroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Anne Fausto-Sterling
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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16
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Vaskinn A, Sundet K, Østefjells T, Nymo K, Melle I, Ueland T. Reading Emotions from Body Movement: A Generalized Impairment in Schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2016; 6:2058. [PMID: 26834672 PMCID: PMC4712298 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Body language reading is a social cognitive process with importance for successful maneuvering of social situations. In this study, we investigated body language reading as assessed with human point-light displays in participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 84) compared to healthy control participants (n = 84), aiming to answer three questions: (1) whether persons with a diagnosis of schizophrenia have poorer body language reading abilities than healthy persons; (2) whether some emotions are easier to read from body language than others, and if this is the same for individuals with schizophrenia and healthy individuals, and (3) whether there are sex differences in body language reading in participants with schizophrenia and healthy participants. A fourth research aim concerned associations of body language reading with symptoms and functioning in participants with schizophrenia. Scores on the body language reading measure was first standardized using a separate sample of healthy control participants (n = 101). Further results showed that persons with schizophrenia had impaired body language reading ability compared to healthy persons. A significant effect of emotion indicated that some emotions (happiness, neutral) were easier to recognize and this was so for both individuals with schizophrenia and healthy individuals. There were no sex differences for either diagnostic group. Body language reading ability was not associated with symptoms or functioning. In conclusion; schizophrenia was characterized by a global impairment in body language reading that was present for all emotions and across sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Vaskinn
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
| | - Kjetil Sundet
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
| | - Tiril Østefjells
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway; Division of Mental Health Services, Department for Specialized Inpatient Treatment, Akershus University HospitalLørenskog, Norway
| | - Katharina Nymo
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid Melle
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway; Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOslo, Norway
| | - Torill Ueland
- Department of Psychology, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research KG Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research, Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
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17
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Hart MP, Hobert O. Sexual Dimorphism: Mystery Neurons Control Sex-Specific Behavioral Plasticity. Curr Biol 2015; 25:R1170-2. [PMID: 26702652 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphisms in the neurons and circuits of males and females control sex-specific behaviors that characterize each sex. A recent study describes a pair of newly discovered, male-specific neurons in C. elegans that control a sex-specific learning behavior termed sexual conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Hart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, USA
| | - Oliver Hobert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, USA.
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18
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Kokras N, Antoniou K, Mikail HG, Kafetzopoulos V, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z, Dalla C. Forced swim test: What about females? Neuropharmacology 2015; 99:408-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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19
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Lalanza JF, Sanchez-Roige S, Cigarroa I, Gagliano H, Fuentes S, Armario A, Capdevila L, Escorihuela RM. Long-term moderate treadmill exercise promotes stress-coping strategies in male and female rats. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16166. [PMID: 26538081 PMCID: PMC4633642 DOI: 10.1038/srep16166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence has revealed the impact of exercise in alleviating anxiety and mood disorders; however, the exercise protocol that exerts such benefit is far from known. The current study was aimed to assess the effects of long-term moderate exercise on behavioural coping strategies (active vs. passive) and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal response in rats. Sprague-Dawley male and female rats were exposed to 32-weeks of treadmill exercise and then tested for two-way active avoidance learning (shuttle-box). Two groups were used as controls: a non-handled sedentary group, receiving no manipulation, and a control group exposed to a stationary treadmill. Female rats displayed shorter escape responses and higher number of avoidance responses, reaching criterion for performance earlier than male rats. In both sexes, exercise shortened escape latencies, increased the total number of avoidances and diminished the number of trials needed to reach criterion for performance. Those effects were greater during acquisition in female rats, but remained over the shuttle-box sessions in treadmill trained male rats. In females, exercise did not change ACTH and corticosterone levels after shuttle-box acquisition. Collectively, treadmill exercise improved active coping strategies in a sex-dependent manner. In a broader context, moderate exercise could serve as a therapeutic intervention for anxiety and mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaume F Lalanza
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Fac de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Laboratori de Psicologia de l'Esport, Departament de Psicologia Bàsica, Fac Psicologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sandra Sanchez-Roige
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Fac de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Igor Cigarroa
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Fac de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Carrera de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, Los Ángeles, región del Bio-Bio, Chile
| | - Humberto Gagliano
- Red de trastornos adictivos (RTA) and Institut de Neurociències, Unitat de Fisiologia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Fuentes
- Red de trastornos adictivos (RTA) and Institut de Neurociències, Unitat de Fisiologia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Armario
- Red de trastornos adictivos (RTA) and Institut de Neurociències, Unitat de Fisiologia Animal, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lluís Capdevila
- Laboratori de Psicologia de l'Esport, Departament de Psicologia Bàsica, Fac Psicologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa M Escorihuela
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Psiquiatria i Medicina Legal, Fac de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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20
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Lawrence AJ, Cryan JF. Found in translation? Commentary on a BJP themed issue about animal models in neuropsychiatry research. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 171:4521-3. [PMID: 25257223 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This themed issue of Br J Pharmacol is dedicated to the utility and needs of animal models in psychiatry research. The following articles document strengths and weaknesses, indicate areas where better models are sorely needed and provide examples where pharmacological studies may result in mechanistic breakthrough and aid in drug development. In addition, complicating factors both in disease and treatment strategies are canvassed, such as sex differences, genetic and environmental influences. While not exhaustive, the intention was to use a number of exemplars to stimulate discussion around how animal models can aid in improving our understanding and treatment of many devastating conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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21
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Ene HM, Kara NZ, Einat H. Introducing Female Black Swiss Mice: Minimal Effects of Sex in a Strain-Specific Battery of Tests for Mania-Like Behavior and Response to Lithium. Pharmacology 2015; 95:224-8. [DOI: 10.1159/000381785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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22
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Affiliation(s)
- Cordelia Fine
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Melbourne Business School & Centre for Ethical Leadership, University of Melbourne, Australia.
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