Gender differences in the prevalence of major depression and the manifestation of symptoms are well-documented, but scientists are still investigating why these differences occur.
Scientists at the Université Laval in Canada examined the brains of people with depression at the time of death. They found changes occurred in different parts of the brain based on the person’s sex.
“The prefrontal cortex is involved in mood regulation, but also in anxiety and self-perception,” said lead author Caroline Ménard. “In chronically stressed male mice and in men with depression, this part of the brain was unaltered. These findings suggest that chronic stress alters the brain barrier differently according to gender.”
The female mice and women with depression also had higher concentrations of an inflammatory molecule in their blood than their male counterparts.
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“It could potentially be used to screen for and diagnose depression,” Ménard said. “It could also be used to measure the efficacy of existing treatments or treatments in development. But first, large-cohort clinical studies will need to be conducted to confirm the biomarker’s reliability.”
The sex differences related to depression also may stem from biological changes during fetal development, when hormones and genes are disrupted as the brain develops, [said researcher] Jill Goldstein.
