To further test if the anxiolytic phenotype in FoxO1 knockout mice is gender-specific, three groups of female mice were subjected to the EPMT. Although time spent in open arms and in closed arms were not different among female wild-type controls, heterozygous, and homozygous FoxO1 knockout mice, a statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of entering closed arms, in which female heterozygous and homozygous FoxO1 knockout mice had significantly lower frequency than wild-type controls (Figure 4b). Thus, it appears that both male and female FoxO1 knockout mice carry an anxiolytic behavioral phenotype, but the phenotype is more pronounced in males than in females.
