Sex-specific changes in peripheral metabolism in a model of chronic anxiety induced by prenatal stress.

Exposure to stress mediators in critical periods of development negatively affects behaviour and metabolism. Prenatal stress programmes offspring peripheral metabolism in a sex-specific manner, emphasizing that the response to stress in critical periods of development may be sex-specific having each sex different vulnerabilities to psychiatric and metabolic disorders. Considering sex-specificities may provide critical clues for the design of preventive strategies and for early therapeutic intervention.