Sex differences in the programming of stress resilience

Abstract Individuals are exceptionally resilient in the face of adversity, with only a small proportion of humans and animals showing lasting dysfunction following a stressful life event. The sex of the individual is an important factor in determining when in the life span an individual is vulnerable to stress, what type of stress is likely to produce lasting dysfunction, and how that dysfunction will manifest in measurable behavioral outcomes. However, the mechanisms that drive this sex-specific resilience are not currently well understood. The role that sex plays in producing resilience is critical, as many neuropsychiatric disorders are both linked to exposure to stressful life events and are sex biased in symptomology or prevalence. In this chapter, we review a growing literature in humans and rodents that addresses sex differences in resilience throughout the life span and the mechanistic contribution of gonadal hormones and sex chromosomes.