New study highlights molecular differences between men’s and women’s brains

A new study from Northwestern University has highlighted intrinsic biological difference between males and females in the molecular regulation of synapses in the hippocampus.

Gender-based variations in this brain region – which is involved in learning and memory, as well as responses to stress and epilepsy – may offer a reason why female and male brains may respond differently to drugs targeting certain synaptic pathways.

Specifically, it was shown that in female brains, the drug URB-597 increased the inhibitory effect of a key endocannabinoid in the brain, causing a decrease in the release of neurotransmitters, whereas in male brains the drug had no effect.

This finding led the researchers to call for more attention to be paid to the potential differences between men and women when examining brain health issues such as these.

Currently, about 85 percent of basic neuroscience studies are done in male animals, tissues or cells.

Catherine Woolley, senior author of the study, said: "We are not doing women – and specifically women's health – any favours by pretending that things are the same if they are not."