Sex differences in the effects of perinatal anoxia on dopamine function in rats

Abstract

Birth complications involving reduced oxygen to the fetus pose risks for neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia and ADHD, which involve central dopamine (DA) dysfunction and also show gender differences in incidence or severity. Here, we examine possible sex differences in the long-term consequences of perinatal anoxia in the rat, on central DA systems and DA-mediated behaviour. As adults, sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition, PPI) was differentially affected by anoxia in males and females, tending to be impaired only in males. Apomorphine-induced suppression of PPI was especially pronounced in males. Anoxia caused increases in amygdala DA levels in both sexes. However, sex-specific changes in DA and metabolite levels in prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens were found, suggesting a possible basis for some of the observed gender biases in certain neurodevelopmental disorders, sensitive to birth hypoxia.