Journal
GLIA
Volume 68, Issue 6, Pages 1100-1113Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/glia.23740
Keywords
behavior; brain development; epigenetics; microglia; sex differences; sexual differentiation
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [F31NS093947, R01DA039062, R01MH52716]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, have recently been removed from the position of mere sentinels and promoted to the role of active sculptors of developing circuits and cells. Alongside their functions in normal brain development, microglia coordinate sexual differentiation of the brain, a set of processes which vary by region and endpoint like that of microglia function itself. In this review, we highlight the ways microglia are both targets and drivers of brain sexual differentiation. We examine the factors that may drive sex differences in microglia, with a special focus on how changing microenvironments in the developing brain dictate microglia phenotypes and discuss how their diverse functions sculpt lasting sex-specific changes in the brain. Finally, we consider how sex-specific early life environments contribute to epigenetic programming and lasting sex differences in microglia identity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available