The Duration of Stress Determines Sex Specificities in the Vulnerability to Depression and in the Morphologic Remodeling of Neurons and Microglia

• DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.834821
• Publication Date: 2022-03-07T09:17:17Z
• Authors: Rita Gaspar; Carina Soares-Cunha; Ana Verónica Domi...; Bárbara Coimbra; Filipa I. Baptista; Luísa Pinto; António F. Ambrósio; Ana João Rodrigues; Catarina A. Gomes
• Keywords: Anhedonia; Chronic Stress; Learned helplessness

Stress exposure has been shown to induce a variety of molecular and functional alterations associated with anxiety depression. Some studies suggest that microglia, the immune cells brain, play significant role in determining neuronal behavioral responses chronic stress also contribute development stress-related psychopathologies. However, little is known about impact duration upon microglia neurons morphology, particularly considering sex differences. This issue deserves particular investigation, process morphologic remodeling usually accompanied by changes expression. Here, we examine effects short long unpredictable mild (uCMS) protocols on behavior, evaluating parallel morphology dorsal hippocampus (dHIP) nucleus accumbens (NAc), two brain regions involved etiology We report long-term uCMS induced more males, which present depression-like phenotypes (anhedonia helplessness behavior), while females only display anxiety-like behavior. After short-term uCMS, both sexes presented Microglia undergo adaptation dependent sex, NAc: observed hypertrophy males an atrophy females, transient do not persist after uCMS. In dHIP, (hypertrophy) protocol Interestingly, are vulnerable morphological region-specific manner: dendritic granule dHIP medium spiny NAc, short- or The these were affected females. These findings raise possibility that, differentially affecting may for differences clinical presentation disorders under control sex-specific mechanisms.