Davies William, Wilkinson Lawrence S
The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK.
Brain Res. 2006 Dec 18;1126(1):36-45. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.09.105. Epub 2006 Nov 13.
Males and females of many species differ with regard to neurodevelopment, ongoing brain function and behavior. For many years, it was assumed that these differences primarily arose due to hormonal masculinization of the male brain (and to a lesser extent hormonal feminization of the female brain). Recent elegant experiments in model systems have revealed that, while gonadal hormones undoubtedly play an important role in sexual differentiation of the brain, they are not the only possible mechanism for this phenomenon. In the present review, we discuss the concept that genes residing upon the sex chromosomes (which are asymmetrically inherited between males and females) may influence sexually dimorphic neurobiology directly, and suggest possible mechanisms. Future work will be directed towards understanding the extent and specificity with which sex-linked genes and hormones define brain structure and function, and towards elucidating potential interactions between the two mechanisms. Ultimately, it is hoped that such studies will provide insights into why men and women are differentially vulnerable to certain mental disorders, and will enable the development of effective sex-tailored therapeutics.
许多物种的雄性和雌性在神经发育、持续的脑功能和行为方面存在差异。多年来，人们一直认为这些差异主要是由于雄性大脑的激素雄性化（以及在较小程度上雌性大脑的激素雌性化）引起的。最近在模型系统中进行的精妙实验表明，虽然性腺激素无疑在大脑的性别分化中起着重要作用，但它们并不是导致这种现象的唯一可能机制。在本综述中，我们讨论了位于性染色体上的基因（在雄性和雌性之间不对称遗传）可能直接影响两性异形神经生物学的概念，并提出了可能的机制。未来的工作将致力于了解性连锁基因和激素定义脑结构和功能的程度和特异性，以及阐明这两种机制之间的潜在相互作用。最终，希望此类研究能够深入了解为什么男性和女性对某些精神障碍的易感性不同，并能够开发出有效的针对性别的治疗方法。
