Age, sex, and gonadal hormones differently influence anxiety- and depression-related behavior during puberty in mice.

ABSTRACT: Anxiety and depression symptoms increase dramatically during adolescence, with girls showing a steeper increase than boys after puberty onset. The timing of the onset of this sex bias led us to hypothesize that ovarian hormones contribute to depression and anxiety during puberty. In humans, it is difficult to disentangle direct effects of gonadal hormones from social and environmental factors that interact with pubertal development to influence mental health. To test the role of gonadal hormones in anxiety- and depression-related behavior during puberty, we manipulated gonadal hormones in mice while controlling social and environmental factors. Similar to humans, we find that mice show an increase in depression-related behavior from pre-pubertal to late-pubertal ages, but this increase is

SUBMITTER: Boivin JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6596309 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature