Sexual dimorphism in neurological function after SCI is associated with disrupted neuroinflammation in both injured spinal cord and brain.

ABSTRACT: Whereas human spinal cord injury (SCI) is more common in men, the prevalence is growing in women. However, little is known about the effect of biological sex on brain dysfunction and injury mechanisms. To model the highest per capita rate of injury (ages between 16 and 30 years old) in humans, in the present study, young adult or a young/middle-aged male and female C57BL/6 mice were subjected to moderate contusion SCI. When mice were injured at 10-12-week-old, transcriptomic analysis of inflammation-related genes and flow cytometry revealed a more aggressive neuroinflammatory profile in male than females following 3 d SCI, ostensibly driven by sex-specific changes myeloid cell function rather than cell number. Female mice were generally more active at baseline, as evidenced by greater dist

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8885910 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature