De-masculinising the Male Brain

The Y-chromosome gene, SRY, is widely expressed in the male brain, such as the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area (VTA), pre-frontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus. These brain regions, which control important functions such as goal-directed actions, attention, and learning and memory, are also sexually dimorphic. This project seeks to determine the relative contribution of SRY in the sex differences in anatomy, biochemistry and physiology of these brain regions. We will assess the consequence of reducing SRY levels in these brain regions, via site-specific injection of SRY antisense oligonucleotide, on i) behaviour (ie. attention, memory, and goal-directed behaviours), neurochemistry (i.e. measurement of catecholamine levels and cell numbers), and gene-expression (RNA seq, ChIPseq).