Sex-based associations between neighborhood disadvantage and brain–gut alterations in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome
Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with greater symptom severity in IBS males and both higher perceived stress (exacerbates symptoms) and Prevotella abundance (protective) in IBS females. It generally has a greater negative impact on emotion/pain-related cortical morphology in females vs males. However, there are more prominent somatosensory reductions in IBS females, and prefrontal reductions in IBS males. These findings highlight the interplay between social and biological factors in IBS and underscore the need for targeted, sex-specific interventions.
Authors
- Erik Mayer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5509-4580)
- Michelle Choy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7604-8244)
- Lisa A. Kilpatrick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2148-5214)
- Tien S. Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0105-8063)
- Jennifer S. Labus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6634-2551)
- Lin Chang
- Alison Church
- Andrea Shin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7284-3398)
- Bruce Naliboff
Institutions
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biology of Sex Differences
- Published
- 2025-08-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-025-00739-y
- Primary Topic
- Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- University of California, Los Angeles
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases