Women are said to typically 'have a brain that looks younger' while ageing, and University of California San Francisco (UCSF) think they know why.
Scientists used to believe that the second X chromosome females have wasn't really doing much.
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But a recent study by UCSF has found that the second X chromosome can be 'awakened' in ageing.
The university went and sampled some mice, specifically a 20-month-old genetically modified female mouse - the equivalent of a 65-year-old human.
“In typical aging, women have a brain that looks younger, with fewer cognitive deficits compared to men,” said Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology and senior author of the new paper.
“These results show that the silent X in females actually reawakens late in life, probably helping to slow cognitive decline.
“Aging had awakened the sleeping X.”
A new study has suggested that women age better than men (Getty Stock Images)
Her paper, published on 5 March, noted that the 'silent' chromosome unlocked around 20 genes which helped brain development.
“We immediately thought this might explain how women’s brains remain resilient in typical aging, because men wouldn’t have this extra X,” added Margaret Gadek, a graduate student in UCSF’s combined MD and PhD Medical Scientist Training Program and first author of the paper.
The hope, after this finding, is to conduct more research to further understand ageing and to improve cognitive functions.
“Cognition is one of our biggest biomedical problems, but things are changeable in the aging brain, and the X chromosome clearly can teach us what’s possible,” Dubal noted.
The study could lead to new discoveries in other areas (Getty Stock Images)
“Are there interventions that can amplify genes like PLP1 from the X chromosome to slow the decline – for both women and men – as we age?”
On the wider impact of the discovery, she thinks that it 'may be a reason for sex differences in multiple degenerative diseases and conditions'.
“We focused on one area of the brain, but what about the rest of the body and the inactive X chromosome?” the expert continued, as reported by The Telegraph.
“And what about cardiovascular disease and cancers? What role might this waking up of the X be playing in multiple organ systems and health and disease?
“So this is a clear example of how understanding female-specific biology can lead to new treatment for a female brain, as well as a male brain. Our research would suggest that we could all use a little more X.”
