Rigorous science demands support of transgender scientists.

To build a just, equitable, and diverse academy, scientists and institutions must address systemic barriers that sex and gender minorities face. This Commentary summarizes (1) critical context informing the contemporary oppression of transgender people, (2) how this shapes extant research on sex and gender, and (3) actions to build an inclusive and rigorous academy for all.

Synaptic homeostasis transiently leverages Hebbian mechanisms for a multiphasic response to inactivity.

Homeostatic regulation of synapses is vital for nervous system function and key to understanding a range of neurological conditions. Synaptic homeostasis is proposed to operate over hours to counteract the destabilizing influence of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). The prevailing view holds that synaptic scaling is a slow first-order process that regulates postsynaptic glutamate receptors and fundamentally differs from LTP or LTD. Surprisingly, we find that the dynamics of scaling induced by neuronal inactivity are not exponential or monotonic, and the mechanism requires calcineurin and CaMKII, molecules dominant in LTD and LTP. Our quantitative model of these enzymes reconstructs the unexpected dynamics of homeostatic scaling and reveals how synapses can efficiently safeguard future capacity for synaptic plasticity. This mechanism of synaptic adaptation supports a broader set of homeostatic changes, including action potential autoregulation, and invites further inquiry into how such a mechanism varies in health and disease.

Sex diversity in the 21st century: Concepts, frameworks, and approaches for the future of neuroendocrinology.

Sex is ubiquitous and variable throughout the animal kingdom. Historically, scientists have used reductionist methodologies that rely on a priori sex categorizations, in which two discrete sexes are inextricably linked with gamete type. However, this binarized operationalization does not adequately reflect the diversity of sex observed in nature. This is due, in part, to the fact that sex exists across many levels of biological analysis, including genetic, molecular, cellular, morphological, behavioral, and population levels. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms governing sex are embedded in complex networks that dynamically interact with other systems. To produce the most accurate and scientifically rigorous work examining sex in neuroendocrinology and to capture the full range of sex variability and diversity present in animal systems, we must critically assess the frameworks, experimental designs, and analytical methods used in our research. In this perspective piece, we first propose a new conceptual framework to guide the integrative study of sex. Then, we provide practical guidance on research approaches for studying sex-associated variables, including factors to consider in study design, selection of model organisms, experimental methodologies, and statistical analyses. We invite fellow scientists to conscientiously apply these modernized approaches to advance our biological understanding of sex and to encourage academically and socially responsible outcomes of our work. By expanding our conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches to the study of sex, we will gain insight into the unique ways that sex exists across levels of biological organization to produce the vast array of variability and diversity observed in nature.

Comparative analysis of gonadal hormone receptor expression in the postnatal house mouse, meadow vole, and prairie vole brain.

The socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and promiscuous meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are closely related, but only prairie voles display long-lasting pair bonds, biparental care, and selective aggression towards unfamiliar individuals after pair bonding. These social behaviors in mammals are largely mediated by steroid hormone signaling in the social behavior network (SBN) of the brain. Hormone receptors are reproducible markers of sex differences that can provide more information than anatomy alone and can even be at odds with anatomical dimorphisms. We reasoned that behaviors associated with social monogamy in prairie voles may emerge in part from unique expression patterns of steroid hormone receptors in this species, and that these expression patterns would be more similar across males and females in prairie than in meadow voles or the laboratory mouse. To obtain insight into steroid hormone signaling in the developing prairie vole brain, we assessed expression of estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1), estrogen receptor beta (Esr2), and androgen receptor (Ar) within the SBN, using in situ hybridization at postnatal day 14 in mice, meadow, and prairie voles. We found species-specific patterns of hormone receptor expression in the hippocampus and ventromedial hypothalamus, as well as species differences in the sex bias of these markers in the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These findings suggest the observed differences in gonadal hormone receptor expression may underlie species differences in the display of social behaviors.

Using Animal Models for Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

We have recently proposed experimental design guidelines and areas of study for preclinical rodent models of gender-affirming hormone therapy in neuroscience. These guidelines also apply to any field subject to the influences of gonadal steroid hormones, including metabolism and growth, cancer, and physiology. This perspective briefly describes our suggestions for these fields. Studying the effects of exogenous steroid hormones will have translational benefits for the community. We also discuss the need for equitable practices for cisgender scientists who wish to implement these guidelines and engage with the community. It is necessary that community-informed practices are implemented in preclinical research to maximize the benefit to transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender diverse (TNG) healthcare, which is currently in jeopardy in the United States, Europe, and across the globe.

Cannabidiol modulates excitatory-inhibitory ratio to counter hippocampal hyperactivity.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-euphoric component of cannabis, reduces seizures in multiple forms of pediatric epilepsies, but the mechanism(s) of anti-seizure action remain unclear. In one leading model, CBD acts at glutamatergic axon terminals, blocking the pro-excitatory actions of an endogenous membrane phospholipid, lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI), at the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR55. However, the impact of LPI-GPR55 signaling at inhibitory synapses and in epileptogenesis remains underexplored. We found that LPI transiently increased hippocampal CA3-CA1 excitatory presynaptic release probability and evoked synaptic strength in WT mice, while attenuating inhibitory postsynaptic strength by decreasing GABAARγ2 and gephyrin puncta. LPI effects at excitatory and inhibitory synapses were eliminated by CBD pre-treatment and absent after GPR55 deletion. Acute pentylenetrazole-induced seizures elevated GPR55 and LPI levels, and chronic lithium-pilocarpine-induced epileptogenesis potentiated LPI's pro-excitatory effects. We propose that CBD exerts potential anti-seizure effects by blocking LPI's synaptic effects and dampening hyperexcitability.

Centering the Needs of Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Diverse Populations in Neuroendocrine Models of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Most studies attempting to address the health care needs of the millions of transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender-diverse (TNG) individuals rely on human subjects, overlooking the benefits of translational research in animal models. Researchers have identified many ways in which gonadal steroid hormones regulate neuronal gene expression, connectivity, activity, and function across the brain to control behavior. However, these discoveries primarily benefit cisgender populations. Research into the effects of exogenous hormones such as estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone has a direct translational benefit for TNG individuals on gender-affirming hormone therapies (GAHTs). Despite this potential, endocrinological health care for TNG individuals remains largely unimproved. Here, we outline important areas of translational research that could address the unique health care needs of TNG individuals on GAHT. We highlight key biomedical questions regarding GAHT that can be investigated using animal models. We discuss how contemporary research fails to address the needs of GAHT users and identify equitable practices for cisgender scientists engaging with this work. We conclude that if necessary and important steps are taken to address these issues, translational research on GAHTs will greatly benefit the health care outcomes of TNG people.

Transgender data collection in the electronic health record: Current concepts and issues.

There are over 1 million transgender people living in the United States, and 33% report negative experiences with a healthcare provider, many of which are connected to data representation in electronic health records (EHRs). We present recommendations and common pitfalls involving sex- and gender-related data collection in EHRs. Our recommendations leverage the needs of patients, medical providers, and researchers to optimize both individual patient experiences and the efficacy and reproducibility of EHR population-based studies. We also briefly discuss adequate additions to the EHR considering name and pronoun usage. We add the disclaimer that these questions are more complex than commonly assumed. We conclude that collaborations between local transgender and gender-diverse persons and medical providers as well as open inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse individuals on terminology and standards boards is crucial to shifting the paradigm in transgender and gender-diverse health.

Neuronal Inactivity Co-opts LTP Machinery to Drive Potassium Channel Splicing and Homeostatic Spike Widening.

Homeostasis of neural firing properties is important in stabilizing neuronal circuitry, but how such plasticity might depend on alternative splicing is not known. Here we report that chronic inactivity homeostatically increases action potential duration by changing alternative splicing of BK channels; this requires nuclear export of the splicing factor Nova-2. Inactivity and Nova-2 relocation were connected by a novel synapto-nuclear signaling pathway that surprisingly invoked mechanisms akin to Hebbian plasticity: Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptor upregulation, L-type Ca2+ channel activation, enhanced spine Ca2+ transients, nuclear translocation of a CaM shuttle, and nuclear CaMKIV activation. These findings not only uncover commonalities between homeostatic and Hebbian plasticity but also connect homeostatic regulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. The signaling cascade provides a full-loop mechanism for a classic autoregulatory feedback loop proposed ∼25 years ago. Each element of the loop has been implicated previously in neuropsychiatric disease.