Sexual differentiation of the brain as a risk factor in the development of autism-related behaviors
Amaicha Mara Depino, PhD
Laboratory of Neurobiology of Autism
Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, UBA-CONICET
Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires
Host Valeria Carola
Venue: venerdì 19 marzo ore 16.00
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Presentation:
Amaicha Depino is Professor at the Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology of the University of Buenos Aires and Principal Investigator at the Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, CONICET. She was awarded the John Kendrew Young Scientist Award (2011) and she is a member of the Young International Brain Research Organization Committee.
Amaicha’s research has shed evidence on the contribution of neuroinflammation on the development of behaviors related to psychiatric disorders such as autism, depression and anxiety. She works on mice and her lines of research are aimed at unraveling the cellular and molecular factors determining behavior and brain function.
Abstract:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder four times more frequent in boys than in girls. We have recently shown that female mice prenatally exposed to valproic acid (VPA) do not show the reduction in sociability observed in males, showing sex differences in this mouse model of ASD. However, VPA affects the female brain, altering the neuroinflammatory state. Why is VPA having sex-specific effects? We hypothesize that the effects of VPA on behavior require the masculinization of the brain, a perinatal process in the mouse that involves sex steroids.