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Sex differences in endogenous cortical network activity: spontaneously recurring Up/Down states.
Charalambos Sigalas1, Eleni Konsolaki2, Irini Skaliora1
1Neurophysiology Laboratory, Centre for Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Efessiou Street, Athens, 115 27 Greece.
Biology of Sex Differences
|June 21, 2017
Summary
Female mice exhibit distinct cortical dynamics, with longer and more frequent Up states compared to males across all ages. These sex differences in brain activity are present from pre-puberty through old age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Comparative Biology
- Brain Research
Background:
- Vertebrate brains display sexual dimorphism in neural circuits and organization.
- Large-scale brain networks show sex differences, but local networks are less explored.
- Spontaneous Up/Down states reflect cortical default activity during rest and anesthesia.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate sexual dimorphism in cortical dynamics.
- Analyze sex differences in spontaneous Up/Down states in the mouse cortex.
- Determine if sex differences in cortical activity emerge early and persist with age.
Main Methods:
- Recorded local field potentials in coronal brain slices from male and female mice.
- Examined three age groups: pre-puberty, adult, and old.
- Utilized ex vivo electrophysiology to monitor spontaneous Up/Down states.
Main Results:
- Female mice showed significantly longer and more frequent Up states than males.
- Sex differences in Up state power spectrum were observed: females had reduced delta power and increased theta power.
- No sex differences were found in Up state peak voltage or latency.
Conclusions:
- First report of sex differences in ex vivo intracortical network activity.
- Significant sex differences in Up state properties are present from pre-puberty.
- These cortical network sex differences are maintained throughout adulthood and into old age.
