Deletion of the Bax gene disrupts sexual behavior and modestly impairs motor function in mice.

Cell death is a nearly ubiquitous feature of the developing nervous system, and differential death in males and females contributes to several well studied sex differences in neuron number. Nonetheless, the functional importance of neuronal cell death has been subjected to few direct tests. Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein, is required for cell death in many neural regions.