Ganglioside lateralization in the brain of female rats

The ganglioside composition of the cerebral hemispheres of young and adult rats of either sex has been herein assessed for the first time. In females, the total ganglioside content at any age, the content of GM1, GD1a, and GD1b at 8 days, and the content of GM1, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b at 60 days were higher in the right than in the left hemisphere. In males, no difference was observed. Concerning the ceramide moiety, a difference was displayed by C18:1 long-chain base in GD1a, whose proportion was higher in the left than in the right hemisphere of females aged 8 days. The comparison between homolateral hemispheres of rats of different sex revealed several differences. On average, in 8-day-old animals, the content of gangliosides was higher in females than in males. At 60 days the amount of gangliosides was on average lower in females than in males, even if with some exception. The data obtained with the current investigation show the existence of a ganglioside lateralization in rat brain, exclusively in females, and almost entirely at charge of the oligosaccharide portion. Moreover, age-dependent changes of ganglioside pattern and content show a dependence on brain lateralization.