Marques, Alessandra Marques, Bevilaqua, Mario Cesar do Nascimento, da Fonseca, Alberto Morais Pinto, Nardi, Antonio Egidio, Thuret, Sandrine and Pereira Dias, Gisele ORCID: 0000-0001-7276-2010 (2016) Gender differences in the neurobiology of anxiety: Focus on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Neural Plasticity, 2016:5026713. ISSN 2090-5904 (Print), 1687-5443 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/5026713)

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Abstract

Although the literature reports a higher incidence of anxiety disorders in women, the majority of basic research has focused on male rodents, thus resulting in a lack of knowledge on the neurobiology of anxiety in females. Bridging this gap is crucial for the design of effective translational interventions in women. One of the key brain mechanisms likely to regulate anxious behavior is adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN). This review paper aims to discuss the evidence on the differences between male and female rodents with regard to anxiety-related behavior and physiology, with a special focus on AHN. The differences between male and female physiologies are greatly influenced by hormonal differences. Gonadal hormones and their fluctuations during the estrous cycle have often been identified as agents responsible for sexual dimorphism in behavior and AHN. During sexual maturity, hormone levels fluctuate cyclically in females more than in males, increasing the stress response and the susceptibility to anxiety. It is therefore of great importance that future research investigates anxiety and other neurophysiological aspects in the female model, so that results can be more accurately applicable to the female population.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2016 Alessandra Aparecida Marques et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	anxiety, adult hippocampal neurogenesis, gender differences
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified:	29 Jun 2019 08:01
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/23916

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