Research that ignores gender diffferences in the brain is 'deeply harmful, particularly to the health of women'.
The claim is made by Larry Cahill, Professor of Neurobiology and Behaviour at the University of California.
Wiriting in the Journal of Neuroscience Redearch, he called the issue the 'third rail' and said 'sex influences all types and sizes run unexamined and uncontrolled in neuroscience'.
In the special themed issue of the journal, thereare reviews covering how sex infliences addiction, stress-induced anxiety and social cognition, among other topics.
It is claimed that most early-stage research in neuroscience concentrates on men's brains and assumes that the results can be generalised to women.
However, Cahill argues there is clear evidence that gender 'matters fundamentally, powerfully, and pervasively'.
All the papers in the issue can be accessed for free from onlinelibrary.wiley.com