Men's brains age FASTER than women's - making them more likely to develop diseases such as Parkinson's

Among men grey matter declined at a faster rate than women as they age

• Men lost more matter in areas of the brain which deal with movement
• Difference was 'striking' and could inform treatment of other disorders 
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By DANIEL BATES FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 12:33 EST, 25 November 2015 

Among men grey matter in their brain declines at a faster rate than women as they get older, a study found

Men’s brains age more quickly than women’s which may explain why they are more susceptible to conditions like Parkinson’s.

Among men grey matter declined at a faster rate than women as they get older, a study found.

Men also lost more matter than women in the caudate nucleus and the putamen volume, which deal with movement.

The study authors said that the difference was ‘striking’ and might inform treatment on other neurological disorders like ADHD.

The neuroscientists from the University of Szeged in Hungary scanned the brain structures of 53 men and 50 women.

The average age of the participants was 32, with the youngest participant being 21 years old and the eldest 58.

In their report, published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behaviour, the researchers found several differences between the sexes in their subcortical brain structures.

These are the parts of the brain that deal with not just movement but also emotional processing.

As men got older these areas showed a decline that was greater than among women.

Another part of the brain which showed a similar trend was the thalamus, which is like the brain’s main relay station for passing information around the brain.

Previous studies have said that men are twice as likely than women to get Parkinson’s, which affects around 127,000 people in the UK - but they did not say why.

The finding may explain why they are more susceptible to neurological conditions like Parkinson’s (file photo)

In their report the authors said that it could be due to changes in hormone levels as people got older and how the brain responded to these changes.

They wrote: ‘Strikingly, grey matter volume decreases faster in males than in females emphasizing the interplay between aging and gender on subcortical structures.

‘Changes of subcortical structures have been consistently related to several neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g. Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.).

‘Understanding these changes might yield further insight in the course and prognosis of these disorders.’

Previous studies have shown that men have larger brains than women but this does not mean they are smarter - elephants and whales have bigger brains than humans.

 http://health.einnews.com/article/298833277/xqvcgrTrKNgxMk18