Cited by 95Stress Responses and CortisolNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorEstrogen and related hormone effects

Sex differences: Transcriptional signatures of stress exposure in male and female brains

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Brivio, Elena, Lopez, Juan Pablo, Chen, Alon·2020·Genes, Brain and Behavior

Abstract

More than two-thirds of patients suffering from stress-related disorders are women but over two-thirds of suicide completers are men. These are just some examples of the many sex differences in the prevalence and manifestations of stress-related disorders, such as major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders, which have been extensively documented in clinical research. Nonetheless, the molecular origins of this sex dimorphism are still quite obscure. In response to this lack of knowledge, the NIH recently advocated implementing sex as biological variable in the design of preclinical studies across disciplines. As a result, a newly emerging field within psychiatry is trying to elucidate the molecular causes underlying the clinically described sex dimorphism. Several studies in rodents and humans have already identified many stress-related genes that are regulated by acute and chronic stress in a sex-specific fashion. Furthermore, current transcriptomic studies have shown that pathways and networks in male and female individuals are not equally affected by stress exposure. In this review, we give an overview of transcriptional studies designed to understand how sex influences stress-specific transcriptomic changes in rodent models, as well as human psychiatric patients, highlighting the use of different methodological techniques. Understanding which mechanisms are more affected in males, and which in females, may lead to the identification of sex-specific mechanisms, their selective contribution to stress susceptibility, and their role in the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1111/gbb.12643

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Authors
Brivio, E., Lopez, J. P., & Chen, A.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (DE)
  • Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry Munich Germany
Corresponding author
Chen, Alon
Venue
Genes, Brain and Behavior
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-02-06
Volume
19
Issue
3
Pages
e12643-e12643
ISSN
  • 1601-183X (ISSN-L)
  • 1601-1848
OpenAlex
W3003701482
Cited by
95
References
159
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 11
FWCI
1.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Genes Brain & Behavior (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • H2020 European Research Council (260463)
  • Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
  • European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO‐ALTF 650‐2016)
  • Pratt Foundation
  • Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases, Weizmann Institute of Science
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01KU1501A)
  • Israel Science Foundation (1565/15, 1916/12)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
Keywords
sex differences, sexual dimorphism, stress-related disorders, gene expression signatures, stress response, brain transcriptomics, sex as a biological variable, rodent models, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, stress vulnerability, sex-specific gene regulation
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Female, Humans, Male, Sex Characteristics, Stress, Psychological, Transcriptome

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