Sex-based myelination pattern identified

Researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Michigan, USA, say they have found that male mice have three times the number of cells that form myelin in the brain and spinal cord than female mice.

The report, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, surmises that the myelin sheath which surrounds nerve cells in males is thicker than that in females. The team, which was led by Robert Skoff, says it will continue working to identify the neurological differences between male and females brains, which may provide links to the development of multiple sclerosis, autism and depression.