Do microglia play a role in sex differences in TBI?

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for both males and females and is, thus, a major focus of current study. Although the overall death rate of TBI for males is roughly three times higher than that for females, males have been disproportionately repre...

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Published inJournal of neuroscience research Vol. 95; no. 1-2; pp. 509 - 517
Main Authors Caplan, Henry W., Cox, Charles S., Bedi, Supinder S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2017
Subjects
Animals
Brain
Brain Injuries, Traumatic - epidemiology
Brain Injuries, Traumatic - pathology
Central nervous system
Clinical trials
Disorders
Females
Gender
Gender aspects
Gender differences
Head injuries
Hormones
Humans
inflammation
Literature reviews
Males
Microglia
Microglia - physiology
Morbidity
Multiple sclerosis
sex
Sex Characteristics
Sex differences
Sex hormones
Sexual dimorphism
Stroke
TBI
Traumatic brain injury
TBI
gender
inflammation
microglia
sex differences
sex
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0360-4012
1097-4547
DOI10.1002/jnr.23854

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Summary:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for both males and females and is, thus, a major focus of current study. Although the overall death rate of TBI for males is roughly three times higher than that for females, males have been disproportionately represented in clinical and preclinical studies. Gender differences are known to exist in many neurologic disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke, and differences appear to exist in TBI. Furthermore, it is known that microglia have sexually dimorphic roles in CNS development and other neurologic conditions; however, most animal studies of microglia and TBI have focused on male subjects. Microglia are a current target of many preclinical and clinical therapeutic trials for TBI. Understanding the relationship among sex, sex hormones, and microglia is critical to truly understanding the pathophysiology of TBI. However, the evidence for sex differences in TBI centers mainly on sex hormones, and evidenced‐based conclusions are often contradictory. In an attempt to review the current literature, it is apparent that sex differences likely exist, but the contradictory nature and magnitude of such differences in the existing literature does not allow definite conclusions to be drawn, except that more investigation of this issue is necessary. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bibliography:SIGNIFICANCE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects more than 2 million people in the United States each year, with mortality near or above 50,000 people. Males represent a higher percentage of TBI‐related mortality, and females are underrepresented in TBI preclinical and clinical research. Much of the pathology is secondary to the inflammatory response primarily induced by microglia. Sex differences exist in the role of microglia in brain development and other neurologic disorders, yet the majority of animal studies of microglia and TBI only use male subjects. It is crucial to examine the relationship between sex, microglia and TBI.
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ISSN:0360-4012
1097-4547
DOI:10.1002/jnr.23854