Sex Differences in Health & Disease

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to sex differences in health and disease, as presented in the lecture notes.

Place cell

A type of neuron in the hippocampus that becomes active when an animal is in or is thinking about a specific location.

Genetic sex

Determined by the sex chromosomes an individual possesses, such as XY for males and XX for females.

Gonadal sex

Refers to the type of gonads (testes or ovaries) that an individual has.

Phenotypic sex

The physical and physiological characteristics that define male and female individuals, including genitalia and secondary sexual characteristics.

SRY gene

A gene located on the Y chromosome that is responsible for the development of male gonads.

Makes a transcription factor that activates pro-male differentiating genes 

Intersex conditions

Disorders of sexual development where an individual has atypical combinations of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex.

Sex differences in brain disease

Gender-specific differences in prevalence and manifestation of brain diseases and mental illnesses.

Activational effects of sex hormones

Effects of sex hormones that occur after puberty, influencing behavior and brain function.

Hypothalamus→ GnRH → Anterior Pituitary → Gonadotropic hormones → FSH & LH → gonads → sex hormones

Sexual dimorphism

Differences in morphology or function between males and females of the same species.

Dual-function hypothesis

The theory that sex differences exist both to promote reproduction-related behaviors and to mitigate overt behavioral differences between sexes.

Qualitative differences

Differences in how males and females behave, such as mounting behavior in males and lordosis in females.

Quantitative differences

Differences in the intensity or frequency of behaviors between males and females.

Population differences

Differences between male and female populations in traits or characteristics.

Convergent differences

When both sexes display similar performance in tasks but through different mechanisms or approaches.

Fear conditioning

A behavioral paradigm in which organisms learn to associate a previously neutral stimulus with an aversive event.

PAC1 receptor

A receptor involved in the body's stress response that has been linked to PTSD symptoms.

Estradiol

The primary form of estrogen that regulates various functions, including reproductive and sexual health.

Activational role of hormones

Hormones act on already developed brain structures to produce sex-typical behaviors.

Behavioral neuroscience

The study of the interplay between behavior and the brain's structures and functions.

Four types of sex differences

1. Qualitative differences (males show mounting behavior, females show lordosis)

2. Quantitative differences (females show more threat reactivity to aversive stimuli)

3. Population differences (a greater proportion of males show a pattern of fat distribution compared to females)

4. Convergent differences (both sexes solve a maze with similar speed and accuracy, but the neural circuitry and strategy employed are different)