Alzheimer’s disease predominantly affects women, while more men suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The reason for this presumably lies in differences in the brain that emerge early in embryonic development. So far, research has focussed on neurons. However, another cell type, glial cells, could also influence diseases in a gender-specific way. They are therefore the focus of a DFG Priority Programme coordinated by epigenetics professor Julia Schulze-Hentrich at Saarland University.
Saarbrücken/Germany, April 8, 2025 „We now know that there are gender-specific differences in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases such as dementia, autism and depression. We want to track down the causes with our basic research and will be investigating the mechanisms and hormonal control of glial cells,“ says Julia Schulze-Hentrich, summarising the priority programme.
There are various cell types in the brain, the best known being the neurones or nerve cells, which are supplied by the glial cells, also known as neuroglia cells. The glial cells control the metabolism in the brain and also react to hormones. „We know that the two halves of the brain are more closely connected in women than in men.
In men, on the other hand, there are more connections between the front and rear parts of the brain. These differences presumably arise during embryonic development, when the male brain matures as a result of a testosterone surge. Women are only subject to hormonal influences from puberty onwards,“ explains Schulze-Hentrich.
And this is where epigenetics comes into play. „It has been known for some time that there is a kind of second code above our genetic information, the epigenome. This influences the activity of genes and plays a central role in many diseases. In epigenetics, we want to understand the interaction of genes and hormones and analyse which patterns contribute to certain cell functions. In the new priority programme, we will focus on gender-related differences,“ says the Saarbrücken professor, who is continuing the pioneering epigenetic research work of her predecessor, Professor Jörn Walter. She wants to understand whether and how the neuronal circuits tick differently in men and women and what happens at the synapses. „The human brain has a high level of synaptic plasticity, which means that the synapses can transmit signals to different degrees. This is the basis for all learning and memorising information,“ said Julia Schulze-Hentrich.
There are also gender-specific differences in so-called connectivity, i.e. the question of how the cellular elements of a nervous system relate to each other, which may be controlled via the glial cells. „Due to more grey matter in the brain, i.e. more cerebral cortex, and a stronger connection between the two hemispheres of the brain, women are better at intuitive thinking. Men, on the other hand, have a ten percent larger brain and differently connected brain areas, which obviously optimises their motor skills,“ explains the researcher. In addition to epigenetics and molecular biology, electrophysiology, behavioural research and bioinformatics will also be of central importance for this basic research.
Experts are also needed for imaging methods and can now apply with their projects for the Germany-wide priority programme entitled ‘SEX and GLIA: Sex-dependent mechanisms of neuroglial cell functions in the context of health and disease’. Standardised procedures and uniform methods are to be developed for the collected data so that they can also be used by other research groups with new questions in the future.
Further information:(https://www.dfg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/2025/pressemitteilung-nr-07)
(https://www.uni-saarland.de/lehrstuhl/schulze-hentrich.html) – Lehrstuhl für Epigenetik
(https://www.uni-saarland.de/forschen/cgbm.html) – Centrum für geschlechtsspezifische Biologie und Medizin
ImageSource
Rosy Pixabay