Sex Chromosome Neurobiology

Overview

Understanding biological differences between the male and female brain may hold the key to understanding sex-bias in susceptibility to brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, autism and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Whilst the influence of sex hormones (i.e. oestrogen and testosterone) on brain sex differences are well established, emerging evidence demonstrate a role for sex chromosome genes (i.e. X and Y) .

The Sex Chromosome Neurobiology laboratory uses a combination of molecular, pharmacological, and behavioural approaches to investigate the contribution of sex chromosome genes in brain sex differences in health and disease. Seminal work from our group demonstrates that the Y-chromosome gene, SRY, directly exerts male-specific actions in adult dopamine neurons and that SRY dysregulation may underlie male preponderance to disorders such as PD and ADHD.

The principal goals of our research are:

• to understand how sex chromosome genes influence brain function and behaviour
• to understand why males and females are differentially vulnerable to neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, autism, and ADHD.
• identify sex-specific risk or protective factors to develop more effective therapies for each sex.

We utilise a variety of experimental techniques including animal models of neurodegenerative (PD) and neurodevelopment disorders (ADHD), genetic manipulation, animal and human post-mortem brain histology, molecular biology and drug screening in primary, secondary and human inducible pluripotent stem (hiPSC) cell lines.

Meet the team