Estrogen receptor alpha determines sex-specific cardiorespiratory and autonomic responses to intermittent hypoxia in mice
Abstract
We show that 1) the intrinsic variability of the breathing pattern and the frequency of apneas both before and after exposure to intermittent hypoxia (IH) are higher in WT female mice compared with males, 2) higher body weight is significantly associated with lower apnea frequency in ERαKO female mice, and 3) in female mice, the expression of ERα appears to be essential to increase heart rate variability following exposure to IH.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research
Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Treatments
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Applied Physiology
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Volume
- 140
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 664–676
- Publication date
- 5 February 2026
- Language
- EN