Gender Gap: Male-only gene affects men’s dopamine levels
A gene found only in men is key to regulating the brain’s production of dopamine, a new study shows. The finding offers a clue to why men are more likely than women to develop dopamine-related illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and addiction. Together with another new study, the work suggests that women and men have distinctive dopamine-regulating systems.
The gene, called Sry, is found on the Y chromosome and is therefore exclusive to men. Sry determines gender, signaling an embryo’s gonads to develop into testes rather than ovaries.