Sex hormones play a crucial role in brain health, especially when it comes to the sex-based risk factors associated with dementia. Read More
Study in rats reveals sex differences may play a key role in the effectiveness of exercise as an appetite regulator. Exercising female rats ate more than those who did not partake in physical activity. The same effect was not seen in males. Read More
Researchers have identified a genetic switch in neurons that can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary. Read More
Researchers have uncovered a neural mechanism in female mice that shifts estrogen from playing a protective role in glucose metabolism to a disruptive one. Read More
Males with autism have atypically enhanced excitation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This area of the brain is associated with social cognition and self-reflection. Autistic women showed a more intact mPFC response, which was associated with a better ability to camouflage social difficulties in real-world settings. Read More
Analysis of over 2,000 brain scans revealed evidence of highly reproducible sex differences in the volume of different regions of the brain. On average, females had greater cortical volume in the medial and lateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, superior temporal cortex, and lateral parietal cortex. Males had increased volume in the ventral temporal and occipital brain regions. Gene expression data suggest the potential role of sex chromosomes that contribute to the differences. Read More
Researchers also found preliminary evidence that ovarian hormones may modulate the differential response in women and may be related to different levels of estrogen. Read More
On average, women have to work harder to breathe during strenuous exercise than men. The findings not only shed light on how sex may affect exercise dynamics but also the differences in how men and women experience airway disorders, such as asthma and COPD. Read More
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are significantly altered in depression in both sex and brain site-specific manners. The LINC00473 gene is downregulated in the prefrontal cortex of depressed females, but not males. Findings reveal the role of LINC00473 in sex-specific depression and may explain why females are more vulnerable to depressive symptoms than males. Read More
A new study seeks to explain why men infected by coronavirus generally show more severe symptoms and have an increased risk of death over women. Focusing on ACE2 receptors, researchers found the testes, along with the lungs and kidneys, were among areas of the body with the highest ACE2 expression. ACE2 could not be detected in ovarian tissue. The findings back up a previous study that reported male COVID-19 patients experienced impaired testicular function. This suggests the testes may be significantly affected when men develop coronavirus. Read More
Despite popular belief, men are not better (or worse) than women at spatial cognition tasks. However, men and women approach mental rotational tasks in different ways. Read More
Female mice exposed to a high-fat diet have limited hippocampal neurogenesis. The findings may explain why women are at higher risk of developing dementia than men. Read More
