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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Sex Stratified Neuronal Cultures to Study Ischemic Cell Death Pathways
Published on: December 9, 2013
Two perspectives on the origin of sex differences in the brain
Arthur P Arnold1, Emilie F Rissman, Geert J De Vries
1Department of Physiological Science, and Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology of the Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. arnold@ucla.edu
Abstract:
Most sex differences in brain function are attributed to sex differences in the effects of gonadal secretions. In addition, however, male and female cells differ because of differential effects of sex chromosome genes expressed within the cells themselves. The latter conclusion comes from numerous studies in which sexual phenotype appears to be insensitive to the effects of sex hormones during development or cases in which sex differences develop before the onset of sex-specific patterns of gonadal secretions. Recently, mouse models have become available in which the genetic sex of brain cells is independent of the gonadal type (testes vs. ovaries), which allows a test of the role of sex chromosome genes in brain development. This paper reviews the evidence that genetic sex of brain cells influences their sexual phenotype, and critically discusses the relative advantages of various experimental approaches to study this effect.
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