Sex, hormones and cerebrovascular function: from development to disorder

作者：Adeline Collignon, Laurence Dion‐Albert, Caroline Ménard, Vanessa Coelho‐Santos · 发表于：Fluids and Barriers of the CNS · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12987-023-00496-3 · 被引用次数：40 · 研究领域：Hormonal and reproductive studies、Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments、Sexual Differentiation and Disorders

Proper cerebrovascular development and neurogliovascular unit assembly are essential for brain growth and function throughout life, ensuring the continuous supply of nutrients and oxygen. This involves crucial events during pre- and postnatal stages through key pathways, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Wnt signaling. These pathways are pivotal for brain vascular growth, expansion, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) maturation. Interestingly, during fetal and neonatal life, cerebrovascular formation coincides with the early peak activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, supporting the idea of sex hormonal influence on cerebrovascular development and barriergenesis.Sex hormonal dysregulation in early development has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders with highly sexually dimorphic features, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both disorders show higher prevalence in men, with varying symptoms between sexes, with boys exhibiting more externalizing behaviors, such as aggressivity or hyperactivity, and girls displaying higher internalizing behaviors, including anxiety, depression, or attention disorders. Indeed, ASD and ADHD are linked to high prenatal testosterone exposure and reduced aromatase expression, potentially explaining sex differences in prevalence and symptomatology. In line with this, high estrogen levels seem to attenuate ADHD symptoms. At the cerebrovascular level, sex...