@article{eprints2182,
            note = {First published online: March 21, 2014},
          author = {Sara Sannino and Alessandro Gozzi and Antonio Cerasa and Fabrizio Piras and Diego Scheggia and Francesca Manago and Mario Damiano and Alberto Galbusera and Lucy C. Erickson and Davide De Pietri Tonelli and Angelo Bifone and Sotirios A. Tsaftaris and Carlo Caltagirone and Daniel R. Weinberger and Gianfranco Spalletta and Francesco Papaleo},
         journal = {Cerebral Cortex},
           pages = {2529--2541},
          volume = {25},
       publisher = {Oxford University press},
           title = {COMT Genetic Reduction Produces Sexually Divergent Effects on Cortical Anatomy and Working Memory in Mice and Humans},
            year = {2015},
          number = {9},
        abstract = {Genetic variations in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) that modulate cortical dopamine have been associated with pleiotropic behavioral effects in humans and mice. Recent data suggest that some of these effects may vary among sexes. However, the specific brain substrates underlying COMT sexual dimorphisms remain unknown. Here, we report that genetically driven reduction in COMT enzyme activity increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and postero-parieto-temporal cortex of male, but not female adult mice and humans. Dichotomous changes in PFC cytoarchitecture were also observed: reduced COMT increased a measure of neuronal density in males, while reducing it in female mice. Consistent with the neuroanatomical findings, COMT-dependent sex-specific morphological brain changes were paralleled by divergent effects on PFC-dependent working memory in both mice and humans. These findings emphasize a specific sex?gene interaction that can modulate brain morphological substrates with influence on behavioral outcomes in healthy subjects and, potentially, in neuropsychiatric populations. },
        keywords = {cognition ; cortical thickness ; dopamine ; postero-parietal cortex ; prefrontal cortex
},
             url = {http://eprints.imtlucca.it/2182/}
}