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Yanguas-Casás. Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation 2020;7:13-22 I http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-8659.2019.31 Page 19

CONCLUSION
Hormonal and genetic environments determine microglia fate to be sex-specific. There are several sex
differences in microglia physiology, distribution throughout the brain, functional responses, transcriptional
profiles, and sex chromosome composition. Some of these are maintained throughout the lifespan of the
individual; however, most of them are dynamic and vary over time. As microglia play a key role in every
neurological disease, it is likely that the differences they present contribute to sex differences in the course
and incidence of these disorders. Therefore, sex differences in microglia are a new and promising research
field to explain the differences in neurological disorders in humans and potentially lead to sex-specific
strategies to treat these patients.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
The author contributed solely to the article.

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
None.

Conflicts of interest
The author declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.

Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020.

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