Sex differences in the immune response to experimental stroke: Implications for translational research

Abby L. Dotson, Halina Offner

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. It is known that males and females respond differently to stroke. Depending on age, the incidence, prevalence, mortality rate, and disability outcome of stroke differ between the sexes. Females generally have strokes at older ages than males and, therefore, have a worse stroke outcome. There are also major differences in how the sexes respond to stroke at the cellular level. Immune response is a critical factor in determining the progress of neurodegeneration after stroke and is fundamentally different for males and females. Additionally, females respond to stroke therapies differently from males, yet they are often left out of the basic research that is focused on developing those therapies. With a resounding failure to translate stroke therapies from the bench to the bedside, it is clearer than ever that inclusion of both sexes in stroke studies is essential for future clinical success. This Mini-Review examines sex differences in the immune response to experimental stroke and its implications for therapy development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)437-446
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Neuroscience Research
Volume95
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2017

Keywords

  • experimental stroke
  • immune response
  • infarct volume
  • neuroinflammation
  • sex difference
  • therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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