Sleep disturbance in rodent models and its sex-specific implications.

Sleep disturbances, encompassing altered sleep physiology or disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea, profoundly impact physiological functions and elevate disease risk. Despite extensive research, the underlying mechanisms and sex-specific differences in sleep disorders remain elusive. While polysomnography serves as a cornerstone for human sleep studies, animal models provide invaluable insights into sleep mechanisms.

Reduced Plasma Levels of α-Klotho and Their Correlation With Klotho Polymorphisms in Elderly Patients With Major Depressive Disorders.

Recent literature suggests that α-Klotho, a widely recognized anti-aging protein, is involved in longevity as well as in many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, and depression. Although the gene encodes α-Klotho, a single transmembrane protein with intracellular and extracellular domains, the relationship between gene polymorphism and circulating α-Klotho levels in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is not clear. A total of 144 MDD patients and 112 age-matched healthy controls were included in this study.

Brain estrogen alters the effects of the antidepressant sertraline in middle-aged female and male mice.

Estrogens are important in regulating mood, especially for females. However, whether tissue-specific estrogen, such as brain estrogen, contributes to the effects of antidepressant treatment has not been determined. The present study used middle-aged aromatase gene knockout (Ar) mice or overexpression (Thy1-Ar; hGFAP-Ar) mice as brain estrogen models to investigate whether brain estrogen synthesis alters the anti-depressive behaviors of sertraline treatment.