Microglial activation occurs in the absence of anxiety-like behavior following microembolic stroke in female, but not male, rats.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of depression and anxiety disorders is twice as high in women than men; however, females exhibit less neuronal damage following an equivalent ischemic event. Microembolic stroke increases anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in male rats but the behavioral repercussions in females are unknown. FINDINGS: Given the relative neuronal protection from stroke in ovary-intact females, female rats exposed to microembolic stroke may be behaviorally protected as compared to males. The data presented demonstrate that anxiety-like behavior is increased in males despite a comparable increase in microglial activation following microembolic stroke in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that males may be more behaviorally susceptible to the effects of microembolic stroke and further illustrate a dissociation between neuroinflammation and behavior in females.