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SUMMARY:Immune origins of sex differences in the brain - Margaret M McCart
 hy\, James and Carolyn Frenkil Dean’s Professor and Chair\, Department o
 f Pharmacology\, University of Maryland School of Medicine
DTSTART:20210614T143000Z
DTEND:20210614T153000Z
UID:TALK160978@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Elizabeth Weir
DESCRIPTION:It’s not easy being male. Males are more likely to be born p
 rematurely\, more likely to suffer a birth injury\, and if they do will fa
 re far worse than females. Postnatally boys are diagnosed with autism spec
 trum disorders more often than girls\, have on average more severe and ear
 lier onset schizophrenia\, experience markedly higher rates of attention a
 nd hyperactivity disorders and are three times as likely to have language 
 and learning disabilities. This marked gender bias so early in life compel
 s us to understand the biological origins of sex differences in the brain.
  Animal models free of the complicating influences of gender bias offer th
 e best hope for identifying cellular and molecular mechanisms by which sex
  differences are established and maintained.  Sex differences abound throu
 ghout the brain and range from the macro-\, size of entire regions\, to th
 e micro-\, the average density of synapses along a dendrite\, to the  mini
 -\,  transcriptomic profiles.  Androgens derived from the fetal testis dri
 ve the sex  differentiation process\, resulting in a masculinized brain ph
 enotype that will endure across the lifespan.  Identifying the mechanisms 
 of androgen mediated masculinization of the brain has been a long standing
  goal with recent advances highlighting surprising roles for inflammatory 
 signaling molecules and immune cells.  Inflammation during pregnancy is a 
 major risk factor for development of neuropsychiatric and neurological dis
 orders in the offspring. Our findings in the laboratory rat identify sex d
 ifferences in the innate immune system of the healthy brain which may pred
 ispose males to adverse impacts of inflammation or injury. 
LOCATION:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85130861934?pwd=c1l1czdNSFVaUzdtRDRPSlU
 3Q0VmZz09
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