Data from: Sleep, inflammation, and cognitive behavior of aged wild-type mice subjected to diffuse brain injury and aged 3xTg-AD mice as a model of Alzheimer’s disease

Identifying differential responses between sexes following traumatic brain
injury (TBI) can elucidate the mechanisms behind disease pathology.
Peripheral and central inflammation in the pathophysiology of TBI can
increase sleep in male rodents, but this remains untested in females. We
hypothesized that diffuse TBI would increase inflammation and sleep in
males more so than in females. Diffuse TBI was induced in C57BL/6J mice
and serial blood samples were collected (baseline, 1, 5, 7 days
post‐injury [DPI]) to quantify peripheral immune cell populations and
sleep regulatory cytokines. Brains and spleens were harvested at 7DPI to
quantify central and peripheral immune cells, respectively. Mixed‐effects
regression models were used for data analysis. Female TBI mice had
77%–124% higher IL‐6 levels than male TBI mice at 1 and 5DPI, whereas
IL‐1β and TNF‐α levels were similar between sexes at all timepoints.
Despite baseline sex differences in blood‐measured Ly6Chigh monocytes
(females had 40% more than males), TBI reduced monocytes by 67% in TBI
mice at 1DPI. Male TBI mice had 31%–33% more blood‐measured and 31% more
spleen‐measured Ly6G+ neutrophils than female TBI mice at 1 and 5DPI, and
7DPI, respectively. Compared with sham, TBI increased sleep in both sexes
during the first light and dark cycles. Male TBI mice slept 11%–17% more
than female TBI mice, depending on the cycle. Thus, sex and TBI
interactions may alter the peripheral inflammation profile and sleep
patterns, which might explain discrepancies in disease progression based
on sex.