Scientists at the University of Oslo, Norway, found that the male brain ages slightly earlier than the female brain. This study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The study analyzed 12,638 MRI scans of 4,726 healthy individuals aged 17 to 95. Each participant was examined at least twice, approximately three years apart, allowing comparison of brain changes over time.
Experts evaluated the thickness and area of the cerebral cortex, as well as the volume of white and gray matter. It was found that in men, brain volume reduction and cortex thinning occur slightly faster than in women, especially in areas related to vision and memory. In women, changes were only observed in the temporal lobe. The difference is very small — cortex thickness changed by only a few percent per year.
When taking age and lifespan into account, differences between sexes nearly disappeared. This indicates that natural brain aging in women is not the main reason for more frequent Alzheimer’s disease.
According to study author Anne Ravnadal, higher rates of dementia in women are likely related to lifespan, genetics, or diagnostic factors.
In the future, the research team plans to study how changes in brain structure affect memory and cognitive functions. The same changes may have different effects in men and women.
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