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Researchers found sex differences in the activity of genes within cortical neurons (pictured) and other brain cells.Credit: David Scharf/Science Photo Library

By analysing more than a million brain cells, researchers have uncovered widespread differences in patterns of gene activity between male and female brains.

The work, which defined sex on the basis of a person’s combination of sex chromosomes, could help to explain why the risk of developing some brain conditions — such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease — differs between males and females.

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Revealed: how male and female brain cells differ in gene activity