A new study from the University of Rochester has found that brain immune cells respond differently to treatment in males and females. The researchers discovered that microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, behave differently depending on whether they’re in a male or female brain.
The study, published in Cell Reports, challenged long-held assumptions about microglia biology in adults. The team found that certain treatments, such as PLX3397, affect microglia in different ways depending on sex.
Female mice showed unexpected resilience to the treatment, employing alternative survival strategies that resulted in increased survival rates among female microglia. This finding could help explain why neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect men and women differently.
The researchers suggest that factors such as hormonal changes, inflammatory states, and baseline conditions may play important roles in sex-based differences in microglia behavior. The study highlights the importance of considering sex differences in research and treatment approaches for neurological conditions.
Including both male and female subjects in research is crucial to understanding how sex-specific differences in immune function influence brain health and disease progression. This discovery opens new avenues for targeted, sex-specific treatments for brain diseases and could lead to more effective therapies.
Source: https://scienceblog.com/553296/sex-differences-in-brain-immune-cells-challenge-research-assumptions