Recent studies dispel the myth of sexual dimorphic brains.
Peripheral and brain markers for fear differ in a hormone dependent manner between males and females.
Study reveals there are differences in genes and the genetic burdens that underpin ASD between males and females. Researchers also found specific differences in the ways the brains of girls on the autism spectrum respond to different social cues.
Genetics may help explain why women are at higher risk for developing chronic pain disorders than men. The study also sheds light on the role the central nervous system plays in the development of chronic pain.
A large-scale meta-analysis reveals men and women's brains do have slight differences. However, the differences are due to brain size and not sex or gender. Researchers say brain differences between men and women are small and inconsistent once an individual's head size is accounted for.
Researchers found that while there are genetic overlaps between the sexes in relation to mental health disorders, there are also sex-specific differences in how genes related to the immune system, central nervous system, and blood vessels affect people with mental health problems.
Focusing attention on a neural pathway starting at the periaqueductal grey region of the midbrain, researchers made a novel discovery about how dopamine generates different pain responses in male and female mice. Findings indicate dopamine may reduce pain sensitivity in males, whereas, in females, dopamine helps focus attention elsewhere in the presence of pain.
Separating vascular cell data based on sex helps researchers make new discoveries about why males and females are affected by neurodegenerative diseases differently. Findings point to differences in the blood-brain barrier between males and females.
In both neurotypical males and people on the autism spectrum, researchers found a reduction in resting-state brain function in the default mode network. Additionally, connectivity between the two hemispheres in the visual cortex is reduced in women with ASD.
Sex hormones play a crucial role in brain health, especially when it comes to the sex-based risk factors associated with dementia.
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.
Researchers have identified a genetic switch in neurons that can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary.
