Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • In Brief
  • Published:

Cortical plasticity

Plasticity gets sex-specific

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 13, page 817 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

Nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) has roles in different forms of plasticity. A NOS1 isoform, NOS1α, also plays a part in stroke by contributing to ischaemic damage. As this pathophysioloigcal effect is greater in males than in females, the authors tested whether the role of NOS1α in plasticity is also sex-specific. Male NOS1α-null mice showed no long-term potentiation (LTP) between barrel columns and reduced experienced-dependent potentiation (EDP) in the barrel cortex. By contrast, LTP and EDP in the barrel cortex could be detected in NOS1α-null female mice, indicating that neocortical plasticity mechanisms may show sex-specific differences.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Dachtler, J., Hardingham, N. R. & Fox, K. The role of nitric oxide synthase in cortical plasticity is sex specific. J. Neurosci. 32, 14994–14999 (2012)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Darran Yates
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yates, D. Plasticity gets sex-specific. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 817 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3401

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3401

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing