Cerebral Ischemia in the Female
Patricia D. Hurn, Ph.D. – Principal Investigator

Stroke, or Brain Attack, is a sexually dimorphic event.  Over the past ten years, we have closely modeled sex-linked differences in experimental stroke outcomes for many complex animal models; and, in all cases, males are more sensitive to neuronal damage following cerebral ischemia than females, who enjoy neuroprotection.  New preliminary data indicate that astrocytes cultured from female rat or mouse brain are resistant to oxygen-glucose deprivation while male astrocytes are highly vulnerable. 

These studies are designed to test the hypothesis that steroid-producing astrocytes are a key effector of sex differences in cerebral ischemia.  Our goal is to determine if sexual dimorphism in adult stroke is shaped by testosterone and if this shaping occurs early in sexual brain development.

This research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.