Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2007 Oct 15;62(8):847-55.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.03.001. Epub 2007 Jun 4.

Evolving knowledge of sex differences in brain structure, function, and chemistry

Kelly P Cosgrove  1 , Carolyn M Mazure, Julie K Staley
Affiliations
Review

Evolving knowledge of sex differences in brain structure, function, and chemistry

Kelly P Cosgrove et al. Biol Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Clinical and epidemiologic evidence demonstrates sex differences in the prevalence and course of various psychiatric disorders. Understanding sex-specific brain differences in healthy individuals is a critical first step toward understanding sex-specific expression of psychiatric disorders. Here, we evaluate evidence on sex differences in brain structure, chemistry, and function using imaging methodologies, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in mentally healthy individuals. MEDLINE searches of English-language literature (1980-November 2006) using the terms sex, gender, PET, SPECT, MRI, fMRI, morphometry, neurochemistry, and neurotransmission were performed to extract relevant sources. The literature suggests that while there are many similarities in brain structure, function, and neurotransmission in healthy men and women, there are important differences that distinguish the male from the female brain. Overall, brain volume is greater in men than women; yet, when controlling for total volume, women have a higher percentage of gray matter and men a higher percentage of white matter. Regional volume differences are less consistent. Global cerebral blood flow is higher in women than in men. Sex-specific differences in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic markers indicate that male and female brains are neurochemically distinct. Insight into the etiology of sex differences in the normal living human brain provides an important foundation to delineate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders and to guide the development of sex-specific treatments for these devastating brain disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proposed sex differences in a 5-HT synapse, with higher 5-HT reuptake transporters, neurotransmission, and 5HT1A receptors in women versus men.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wizemann T, Pardue M-L. Does sex matter? Washington, D.C: Institute of Medicine; 2001. Exploring the biological contributions to human health. - PubMed
    1. Arnold AP, Xu J, Grisham W, Chen X, Kim YH, Itoh Y. Minireview: Sex chromosomes and brain sexual differentiation. Endocrinology. 2004;145:1057–62. - PubMed
    1. Cahill L. Why sex matters for neuroscience. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006;7:477–84. - PubMed
    1. Birzniece V, Backstrom T, Johansson IM, Lindblad C, Lundgren P, Lofgren M, et al. Neuroactive steroid effects on cognitive functions with a focus on the serotonin and GABA systems. Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 2006;51:212–39. - PubMed
    1. McEwen BS. Invited review: Estrogens effects on the brain: multiple sites and molecular mechanisms. J Appl Physiol. 2001;91:2785–801. - PubMed

Publication types