. Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain. They are involved in many processes of brain development, the maintenance of the neural homeostasis, as well as the response to infection or injury, and repair. We have recently found a striking sex difference in the number of microglia in the developing rat brain. On postnatal day (P) 4 neonatal male rats have significantly more microglia than females in the hippocampus, cortex, and amygdala -- brain regions critical for emotion and cognition. At birth, P0, males have significantly elevated levels of two chemokines (chemotactic cytokines), CCL20 and CCL4, within the hippocampus and cortex than females. Given these data, the purpose of the present proposal is to test two interrelated hypotheses: (1) Neonatal testosterone increases the colonization of microglia in the developing male brain via the elevated expression of CCL20 and CCL4, and (2) Increased numbers of microglia within the developing male brain increases the vulnerability of males to the effects of a neonatal infection when compared to females. These data are consistent with epidemiological data that indicate males are more likely to be diagnosed with certain neurodevelopmental disorders that also have known or suspected immune etiologies, including autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and cerebral palsy. Thus the proposed experiments will explore an important mental health issue from a novel perspective by identifying the interaction between microglial colonization of the developing brain in males and females, and the sex-dependent vulnerability of males to developmental/cognitive brain disorders.

Public Health Relevance

Epidemiological data indicate that perinatal infection increases the risk of developing certain neurodevelopmental disorders. Newborns are particularly susceptible to bacterial infections due to qualitative and quantitative deficiencies i the neonatal innate immune system. Activation of microglia, the immune cells of the brain, is associated with multiple neurodevelopmental disorders that also have known or suspected immune etiologies, including autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, and cerebral palsy. Notably, all of these disorders exhibit a strong sex bias in males. Despite these data, the effect of sex on neonatal infection and subsequent cognitive outcomes has not been explored. We have recently determined that neonatal male rats have significantly more microglia than females in brain regions critical for emotion and cognition. We propose that understanding the development of the neuroimmune system, in particular the colonization of microglia in the developing male and female brain, may be a key link to understanding the sex-dependent vulnerability of males to these neurodevelopmental disorders.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21MH101663-01A1
Application #
8638122
Study Section
Neuroendocrinology, Neuroimmunology, Rhythms and Sleep Study Section (NNRS)
Program Officer
Desmond, Nancy L
Project Start
2014-02-01
Project End
2016-01-31
Budget Start
2014-02-01
Budget End
2015-01-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Delaware
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Newark
State
DE
Country
United States
Zip Code
19716
Osborne, Brittany F; Turano, Alexandra; Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2018) Sex Differences in the Neuroimmune System. Curr Opin Behav Sci 23:118-123
Osborne, Brittany F; Turano, Alexandra; Caulfield, Jasmine I et al. (2018) Sex- and region-specific differences in microglia phenotype and characterization of the peripheral immune response following early-life infection in neonatal male and female rats. Neurosci Lett 692:1-9
Turano, Alexandra; Lawrence, Jennifer H; Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2017) Activation of neonatal microglia can be influenced by other neural cells. Neurosci Lett 657:32-37
Sherer, Morgan L; Posillico, Caitlin K; Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2017) An examination of changes in maternal neuroimmune function during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Brain Behav Immun 66:201-209
Osborne, Brittany F; Caulfield, Jasmine I; Solomotis, Samantha A et al. (2017) Neonatal infection produces significant changes in immune function with no associated learning deficits in juvenile rats. Dev Neurobiol 77:1221-1236
Posillico, Caitlin K; Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2016) An investigation into the effects of antenatal stressors on the postpartum neuroimmune profile and depressive-like behaviors. Behav Brain Res 298:218-28
Terasaki, Laurne S; Gomez, Julie; Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2016) An examination of sex differences in the effects of early-life opiate and alcohol exposure. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 371:20150123
Schwarz, Jaclyn M (2015) Using fluorescence activated cell sorting to examine cell-type-specific gene expression in rat brain tissue. J Vis Exp :e52537