A new study led by researchers from Stanford Medicine found that men's and women's brains are different and it comes down to their genes. They found more than 1,000 genes are more active in the gray matter of one gender's brains than the other.
Researchers said these genes are responsible for programming "rating, dating, mating, and hating" behaviors. For instance, male mice has a quick determination of a stranger's sex, while female mice are receptive to mating and maternal protectiveness. On the other hand, these genes also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, autism, and multiple sclerosis.
Men and Women Might Come From Different Planets
American author and counselor John Gray wrote in his best-selling relationship guide "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" that men and women are so different and incompatible that they could be from different planets. The book highlights these differences between the two sexes.
This hypothesis was supported by the new study that found these differences in the genes. Senior study author Professor Nirao Shah said in a university release that they were able to use these genes to identify specific brain cells that are responsible for sex-specific behaviors.
Women's Menstrual Cycle Also Cause Differences in Behaviors of Both Sexes
Researchers analyzed four structures in the brains of mice that are similar to those found in humans. Then they extracted these tissues that contained neurons enriched with sex hormones.
Study Finds reported that the team discovered more than 600 differences between female mice in different phases of their estrous cycle, the same as the menstrual cycle in human females.
Professor Shah explained that these four tiny structures where hundreds of genes whose activity levels depend on the female's cycle stage are surprising. Researchers noted that females' estrogen and progesterone levels wax and wane monthly like phases of the moon.
Genes Are Risk Factors for Brain Disorders
According to MailOnline, some of the genes researchers discovered were also established as risk factors for brain disorders. More so, these genes are more common in one gender than the other.
The team wrote in their study that 207 genes are known high-risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that are four times more common in men than women. More specifically, they identified 39 genes are more active in the brains of one or the other sex in which males have 29 while females have 10.
Furthermore, the team also identified genes linked to Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis that affects more women than men. Researchers believe that the reason why some genes are more active in one gender is that males need some of those genes to be working harder and the same goes for females. They explained that a genetic mutation needs activation but could also do more harm.
They published the full findings of their study, titled "A Functional Cellular Framework for Sex and Estrous Cycle-Dependent Gene Expression and Behavior," in the journal Cell.
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