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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Oct 27;131:1228–1242. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.031

Figure 1. The impact of stress on parvalbumin interneurons varies in an age- and sex-specific manner.

Figure 1.

Schematic representation that summarizes existing literature that assesses the influence of stress on parvalbumin (PV) interneurons and behavioral outcomes in preclinical models of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease. Findings reveal that males are more heavily impacted by prenatal stress, multiple studies finding decreased measures of PV in several brain regions as well as increased anxiety-like behavior, social deficits, and memory impairments. Females, on the other hand, seem to show greater changes in PV and behavior following stress in the neonatal phase and in adulthood, suggesting an increased vulnerability to stress during these periods. These findings could play a role in the differential rates of diagnosis of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders among men and women in clinical populations. An increased susceptibility to prenatal stress in males leading to more significant losses of parvalbumin may play a role in increased vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disease (e.g., ASD, ADHD), while more susceptibility to postnatal stress in females may correspond with increased diagnostic rates of affective disorders (e.g. MDD, anxiety). These findings have large implications for considering age, sex, and their interaction in future studies addressing the impacts of stress on individual vulnerability to stress. For footnotes, please see Appendix 2.