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A woman's prerogative

Nature Neuroscience volume 8, pages 697–699 (2005)Cite this article

Hormonal changes during the estrous cycle have profound effects on synaptic transmission, from altering the density of synapses to changing receptor composition. A new paper shows that neurons express different subsets of GABAA receptor subunits during different phases of the estrous cycle, and that this alters tonic inhibition, seizure susceptibility and anxiety in female mice.

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Figure 1: Comparison of the estrous cycle of the rat and menstrual cycle of the human.

Ann Thomson

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Kevin Staley

  2. Departments of Pharmacology and Neurology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

    Helen Scharfman

  3. New York State Department of Health, Center for Neural Recovery and Rehabilitation Research (CNRRR), Helen Hayes Hospital, West Haverstraw, New York, USA

    Helen Scharfman

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  1. Kevin Staley
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  2. Helen Scharfman
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Staley, K., Scharfman, H. A woman's prerogative. Nat Neurosci 8, 697–699 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0605-697

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