ArticleBiology of sex differences2024
Sexual differences in neuronal and synaptic properties across subregions of the mouse insular cortex.
Article in Biology of sex differences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sex differences in insular cortex function in persistent alcohol drinking despite aversion in mice.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Whole-Brain Monosynaptic Inputs to and Axonal Projections From Posterior Insular Cortex GABAergic Neurons in Mice.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Glutamatergic pathway from deep layers of the insular cortex to the rostral central medial thalamic nucleus participates in neuropathic pain and anxiety-like behaviors in mice.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- Cell-type specific allelic dampening of sex-linked genes in sex chromosome aneuploidy.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- GABAExperimental physiology · 2026Article
- Transcriptomic signatures of the insular cortex in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Article
- Modulation of social valence by insular cortex activity during acute social isolation in mice.Molecular brain · 2025Article
- Sex differences in pain perception and modulation in the brain: effects of insular cortex stimulation on chronic pain relief.Brain communications · 2025Article
- An Open-Source Tool for Investigation of Differential RNA Expression Between Spinal Cord Cells of Male and Female Mice.Journal of neuroscience research · 2024Article
- Article
- Deciphering the functional role of insular cortex stratification in trigeminal neuropathic pain.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Review
- Sex differences in glutamate transmission and plasticity in reward related regions.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe insular cortex (IC) plays a pivotal role in processing interoceptive and emotional information, offering insights into sex differences in behavior and cognition. The IC comprises two distinct subregions: the anterior insular cortex (aIC), that processes emotional and social signals, and the posterior insular cortex (pIC), specialized in interoception and perception of pain. Pyramidal projection neurons within the IC integrate multimodal sensory inputs, influencing behavior and cognition. Despite previous research focusing on neuronal connectivity and transcriptomics, there has been a gap in understanding pyramidal neurons characteristics across subregions and between sexes.
methodsAdult male and female C57Bl/6J mice were sacrificed and tissue containing the IC was collected for ex vivo slice electrophysiology recordings that examined baseline sex differences in synaptic plasticity and transmission within aIC and pIC subregions.
resultsClear differences emerged between aIC and pIC neurons in both males and females: aIC neurons exhibited distinctive features such as larger size, increased hyperpolarization, and a higher rheobase compared to their pIC counterparts. Furthermore, we observed variations in neuronal excitability linked to sex, with male pIC neurons displaying a greater level of excitability than their female counterparts. We also identified region-specific differences in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity and the balance between excitation and inhibition in both male and female mice. Adult females demonstrated greater synaptic strength and maximum response in the aIC compared to the pIC. Lastly, synaptic long-term potentiation occurred in both subregions in males but was specific to the aIC in females.
conclusionsWe conclude that there are sex differences in synaptic plasticity and excitatory transmission in IC subregions, and that distinct properties of IC pyramidal neurons between sexes could contribute to differences in behavior and cognition between males and females.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.