SWHR Isis Fund Network on Sex, Gender, Drugs and the Brain
January 2002-September 2007

Mission Statement: Develop collaborations for exploratory and hypothesis-driven research on sex differences in nervous system function, and to translate the results of this research into new and/or improved therapies for advancing human health.

Achievements

Publications

• Call for Papers in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparitive Physiology
• Fourteen papers on the topic, "Sex and Gender in Pain and Inflammation" were published in February (vol 290) and August (vol 291) 2006.


• Edited Volume 
• Becker, JB, KJ Berkley, N Geary, E Hampson, JP Herman, EA Young (eds.) Sex Differences in the Brain From Genes to Behavior Oxford University Press. 2008.
  For more information and to order the book click here

• Review Article
• Becker, J.B., A. Arnold, K.J. Berkley, J.D. Blaustein, L.A. Eckel, E. Hampson, J.P. Herman, S. Marts, W. Sadee, M. Steiner, J. Taylor, and E. Young. 2005. Strategies and methods for research on sex differences in brain and behavior. Endocrinology 146:1650-1673.
  Read the article

• Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Bertolino, A., Fazio, L., Caforio, G., Blasi, G., Rampino, A., Romano, R., Di Giorgio, A., Taurisano, P., Papp, A., Pinsonneault, J., Wang, D., Nardini, M., Popolizio, T., and Sadee, W. 2009. Functional variants of the dopamine receptor D2 gene modulate prefronto-striatal phenotypes in schizophrenia. Brain. Feb;132(Pt 2):417-25.
• Laroche, J., Gasbarro, L., Herman, J.P., and J.D. Blaustein. 2009. Enduring Influences of Peripubertal/ Adolescent Stressors on Behavioral Response to Estradiol and Progesterone in Adult Female Mice. Endocrinology 150: 3717–3725.
• Laroche, J., Gasbarro, L., Herman, J.P., and J.D. Blaustein. 2009. Reduced Behavioral Response to Gonadal Hormones in Mice Shipped during the Peripubertal/Adolescent Period. Endocrinology 150: 2351–2358.
• Solomon, M. B. and J. P. Herman. 2009. Sex Differences in Psychopathology: Of Gonads, Adrenals and Mental Illness. Physiology & Behavior 97: 250–258.
• Johnson, A.D., Zhang, Y., Papp, A.C., Pinsonneault, J.K., Lim, J.E., Saffen, D., Dai, Z., Wang, D. and Sadée, W. 2008. Polymorphisms Affecting Gene Transcription and mRNA Processing in Pharmacogenetic Candidate Genes: Detection through Allelic Expression Imbalance in Human Target Tissues. Pharmacogenet Genomics. Sep;18(9):781-91.
• Figueiredo, H. F., Ulrich-Lai, Y. M., Choi, D. C. and J. P. Herman. 2007. Estrogen Potentiates Adrenocortical Responses to Stress in Female Rats. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 292:1173-1182.
• Quinn, J.J., Hitchcott, P.K., Umeda, E.A., Arnold, A.P., and JR Taylor. 2007. Sex Chromosome Complement Regulates Habit Formation. Nat Neurosci. 10(11):1398-400.
• Pinsonneault, J.K., Papp, A.C. and Sadée, W. Allelic mRNA Expression of X-linked Monoamine Oxidase a (MAOA) in Human Brain: Dissection of Epigenetic and Genetic Factors. 2006. Hum Mol Genet. Sep 1;15(17):2636-49.

• Meeting Abstracts
• Hamspon, E., Pinsonneault, J., Steiner, M., and W. Sadee. 2010. The Neurochemistry of Spatial Working Memory: Insights from Genetic Association Analysis. The Frontal Lobes - 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference. Frontiers in Neuroscience. In Press.

Pilot Projects

• Title: Sex Chromosome Effects on Brain and Behavior
• PIs: Jill Becker, Arthur Arnold, Jane Taylor, Roy Wise (NIDA),
• Title: Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of Low Dose Transdermal 17β-estradiol Acceleration of Escitalopram in Major Depression with Postpartum Onset
• PIs: Meir Steiner, Wolfgang Sadee, Elizabeth Hampson
• Title: Enduring Effects of Prepubertal Exposure to Stressors on Reproductive Behavior in Mice.
• PIs: Jeffrey Blaustein, James Herman
• Title: IL2-induced Behavioral Change: Role of Sex Differences and Development
• PIs: Steven Zalcman, James Herman

Symposia Presented

November 2003: Satellite Symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

• Title: Sex Differences in the Brain: From Genes to Behavior
• Speakers:
• Sherry Marts, PhD: Welcome and Introduction to SWHR, the Isis Fund, and the Network on Sex, Gender, Drugs, and the Brain
• Jill Becker, PhD: Remarks by the Symposium Chair
• Arthur Arnold, PhD: Sex Matters in Brain Development
• Jeffrey D. Blaustein, PhD: Neuronal Integration of Sensory Information         
• Jane Taylor, PhD: Sex Differences in Animal Models of Cognition
• Lisa R. Jackson, PhD: Neuroendocrine Influences on Addiction
• Elizabeth Young. MD: Neuroendocrinology of Depression

March 2004: Symposium at the 2^nd World Congress on Women’s Mental Health

• Title: Sex in the Brain: Genes, Hormones, and Behavior
• Co-Chairs: Jill B. Becker, PhD and Meir Steiner, MD, PhD
• Speakers:
• Arthur Arnold, PhD: Sex Matters in Brain Development
• Jeffrey D. Blaustein, PhD: Integration of Hormonal and Sensory Information by Neuronal Progestin Receptors
• Jill B. Becker, PhD: Sex Differences in Animal Models of Addiction
• Elizabeth A. Young, MD: Ovarian Hormones And Stress Systems: Implications For Depression

July 2004: Half-day Workshop at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology

• Title: Strategies and Methods for Research on Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior.
• Speakers:
• Sherry Marts, PhD: Introduction to SWHR, the Isis Fund, and the Network on Sex, Gender, Drugs, and the Brain
• Jill Becker, PhD: Introduction to content and conceptual framework for the study of sex differences.
• Karen Berkley, PhD: The estrous cycle of the female rat and how to determine stages.
• Jill Becker, PhD: If you have a sex difference, or an effect that varies with the estrous cycle – what then? How do you determine if a sex difference is due to differences in hormones at the time of testing? What hormones do you give? How are they delivered? How do you decide?
• Elizabeth Young. MD: How does stress impact the study of sex differences in rodents and humans?
• Meir Steiner, M.D., PhD: Transition to research methods with a clinical population
• Elizabeth Young., MD: In humans, how do you assess if there is a sex difference in the trait?  How do you determine if the sex difference is attributable to the actions of gonadal steroids at the time of testing?  How do you study the effects of hormones in humans?
• Meir Steiner, MD, PhD: How do you study the menstrual cycle and other endogenous variations in hormones in men and women?

October 2004: Symposium at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience

• Title: Sex, Gender Drugs, and the Brain
• Chair: Jill B. Becker, PhD
• Speakers:
• Liisa A.M Galea, PhD (University of British Columbia): Differential Effects of Estrogen on Learning and Memory
• Jon-Kar Zubieta, MD, PhD (University of Michigan):  Sex Differences and Estradiol Regulation of Endogenous Opioid System Function in Humans
• Meir Steiner, M.D., PhD Sex Differences in Mood Disorders

March 2005: Symposium at the Congress of the International Union of Physiological Societies

• Title: Sex Differences in Pain and Analgesia
• Chair: Karen Berkley, PhD
• Speakers:
• Jeffrey Mogil, PhD (McGill University):  Interaction between Sex and Genotype in Mediation of Pain and Analgesia
• Emeran A. Mayer, MD: Sex/gender differences in gastrointestinal pain mechanisms: irritable bowel syndrome
• Anita Holdcroft MB ChB, MD (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital): Sex/gender differences in pain therapy and anesthesia in humans.
• Jon-Kar Zubieta, MD, PhD (University of Michigan): Sex differences in µ-opioid receptor mediated neurotransmission and regulation by gonadal steroids in humans

Members