Becker Jill B, Arnold Arthur P, Berkley Karen J, Blaustein Jeffrey D, Eckel Lisa A, Hampson Elizabeth, Herman James P, Marts Sherry, Sadee Wolfgang, Steiner Meir, Taylor Jane, Young Elizabeth
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 525 East University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Endocrinology. 2005 Apr;146(4):1650-73. doi: 10.1210/en.2004-1142. Epub 2004 Dec 23.
Female and male brains differ. Differences begin early during development due to a combination of genetic and hormonal events and continue throughout the lifespan of an individual. Although researchers from a myriad of disciplines are beginning to appreciate the importance of considering sex differences in the design and interpretation of their studies, this is an area that is full of potential pitfalls. A female's reproductive status and ovarian cycle have to be taken into account when studying sex differences in health and disease susceptibility, in the pharmacological effects of drugs, and in the study of brain and behavior. To investigate sex differences in brain and behavior there is a logical series of questions that should be answered in a comprehensive investigation of any trait. First, it is important to determine that there is a sex difference in the trait in intact males and females, taking into consideration the reproductive cycle of the female. Then, one must consider whether the sex difference is attributable to the actions of gonadal steroids at the time of testing and/or is sexually differentiated permanently by the action of gonadal steroids during development. To answer these questions requires knowledge of how to assess and/or manipulate the hormonal condition of the subjects in the experiment appropriately. This article describes methods and procedures to assist scientists new to the field in designing and conducting experiments to investigate sex differences in research involving both laboratory animals and humans.
女性和男性的大脑存在差异。由于遗传和激素因素的共同作用，这种差异在发育早期就已开始，并在个体的整个生命周期中持续存在。尽管来自众多学科的研究人员开始认识到在研究的设计和解释中考虑性别差异的重要性，但这一领域充满了潜在的陷阱。在研究健康和疾病易感性方面的性别差异、药物的药理作用以及大脑与行为的关系时，必须考虑女性的生殖状态和卵巢周期。为了研究大脑与行为方面的性别差异，在对任何特征进行全面研究时，有一系列逻辑问题需要回答。首先，考虑到女性的生殖周期，确定在完整的男性和女性中该特征是否存在性别差异很重要。然后，必须考虑性别差异是归因于测试时性腺类固醇的作用，和/或在发育过程中由性腺类固醇的作用永久地进行了性别分化。要回答这些问题，需要了解如何在实验中适当地评估和/或操纵受试者的激素状况。本文介绍了一些方法和程序，以帮助该领域的新手科学家设计和开展实验，来研究涉及实验动物和人类的研究中的性别差异。
