title: Sex differences in brain epigenetics.
abstract: Sexual differentiation of the brain takes place during a perinatal-sensitive time window as a result of gonadal hormone-induced activational and organizational effects on neuronal substrates. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms can contribute to the establishment and maintenance of some aspects of these processes, and that these epigenetic mechanisms may themselves be under the control of sex hormones. Epigenetic programming of neuroendocrine and behavioral phenotypes frequently occurs sex specifically, pointing to sex differences in brain epigenetics as a possible determinant. Understanding how sex-specific epigenomes and sex-biased responses to environmental cues contribute to the development of brain diseases might provide new insights for epigenetic therapy.
authors: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany.
authors: Yannick
authors: Y
authors: Menger
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Bettscheider
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Murgatroyd
authors: Dietmar
authors: D
authors: Spengler
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D057890:Epigenomics; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011987:Receptors, Steroid