Are hormones a “female problem” for animal research?

In May 2019, Rebecca M. Shansky wrote that outdated gender stereotypes influence neuroscience research, especially that using laboratory animals.  The stereotype is that circulating ovarian hormones make data more variable.  However meta-analyses of studies in both mice (Prendergast et al 2014) and rats (Becker et al 2016) showed no differences in variability between the sexes.  Shansky explains that the male bias influences not only experimental design but also data interpretation and peer review of grants.  Her article provides an experimental protocol for avoiding the influences of gender stereotypes.

For the full article see: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6443/825

R. M. Shansky, Science, 2019, 364(6443):825-826

B. J. Prendergast, K. G. Onishi, I. Zucker, Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 40, 1 (2014).

J. B. Becker, B. J. Prendergast, J. W. Liang, Biol. Sex Differ. 7, 34 (2016).