Age, but Not Sex, Modulates Foxp3 Expression in the Rat Brain across Development.

The interconnectivity between brain development and the immune system has become an area of interest for many neuroscientists. However, to date, a limited number of known immune mediators of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) have been found to influence the development of the central nervous system (CNS). FOXP3 is a well-established mediator of regulatory T-cells in the PNS.

Regulatory Control of Microglial Phagocytosis by Estradiol and Prostaglandin E2 in the Developing Rat Cerebellum.

Microglia are essential to sculpting the developing brain, and they achieve this in part through the process of phagocytosis which is regulated by microenvironmental signals associated with cell death and synaptic connectivity. In the rat cerebellum, microglial phagocytosis reaches its highest activity during the third postnatal week of development but the factors regulating this activity are unknown. A signaling pathway, involving prostaglandin E (PGE) stimulation of the estrogen synthetic enzyme aromatase, peaks during the 2nd postnatal week and is a critical regulator of Purkinje cell maturation.

Androgen modulation of Foxp1 and Foxp2 in the developing rat brain: impact on sex specific vocalization.

Sex differences in vocal communication are prevalent in both the animals and humans. The mechanism(s) mediating gender differences in human language are unknown, although, sex hormones, principally androgens, play a central role in the development of vocalizations in a wide variety of animal species. The discovery of FOXP2 has added an additional avenue for exploring the origins of language and animal communication.