Julia Pinsonneault and Wolfgang Sadée
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195311587
- eISBN:
- 9780199865048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311587.003.0005
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Molecular and Cellular Systems
This chapter reviews current trends in the understanding of the genetics of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and how sex differences impinge on outcomes, or can serve to study the underlying ...
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This chapter reviews current trends in the understanding of the genetics of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and how sex differences impinge on outcomes, or can serve to study the underlying causes of disease. It shows that estrogens appear to play a prominent role, primarily as a protective agent in the case of schizophrenia and depression. Even in depression where women are more strongly affected than men, this may be due to a precipitous drop in estrogens, such as happens after delivering a baby or premenstrually. Yet, hormonal levels are but one of the multiple genomic differences between males and females. The chapter points out the overriding need to consider sex in understanding the disease and optimizing its therapy, but it also highlights the complexity of genomic factors in multigenic disease and therapy.Less
This chapter reviews current trends in the understanding of the genetics of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and how sex differences impinge on outcomes, or can serve to study the underlying causes of disease. It shows that estrogens appear to play a prominent role, primarily as a protective agent in the case of schizophrenia and depression. Even in depression where women are more strongly affected than men, this may be due to a precipitous drop in estrogens, such as happens after delivering a baby or premenstrually. Yet, hormonal levels are but one of the multiple genomic differences between males and females. The chapter points out the overriding need to consider sex in understanding the disease and optimizing its therapy, but it also highlights the complexity of genomic factors in multigenic disease and therapy.
