Corticosterone-linked microglial activity underpins sexually dimorphic neuroplasticity after ketamine anesthesia

Abstract Anesthesia recovery is critical for resuming normal physiological and neuronal functions; however, the mechanisms involved remain elusive. Here, we identify a female-selective corticosterone-mediated microglia-neuron interaction in vivo during ketamine anesthesia recovery, absent in males. This microglia-neuron interaction induces plastic and functional neuronal changes, as evidenced by increased spine density and mEPSC frequency, which is occluded upon microglia depletion. We show that this process is driven through upregulation of the stress-responsive co-chaperone Fkbp5 mRNA and its protein, FKBP51, in female microglia. Fkbp5 /FKBP51 is a key intermediary in a corticosteroid-induced stress response, and its involvement points towards a critical interface between endocrine signaling and microglia. Thus, to counteract the observed KXA-mediated corticosterone increase in the blood, we remove the primary source of corticosterone through adrenalectomy. Close microglia-neuron interaction was absent, but was reinstated after corticosterone injection. Our findings offer a new mechanism of microglia-mediated neuronal plasticity during anesthesia recovery, which is mediated through corticosterone, enhancing our understanding of sex differences in brain function.