X-traordinary Ageing: Silent X Chromosome Awakens to Boost Female Brain

As someone with a genetics background I can think of no better way to celebrate International Women's Day than with a paper on the power of the X chromosome. We were always taught that in XX individuals one X is inactivated in somatic cells to prevent unequal genetic dosing. 

In this truly fascinating paper, researchers at the University of California have shown that during ageing, genes on the inactivated X re-activate in the hippocampus, and that this re-activation contributed to cognitive resilience in the ageing female brain. 

Happy International Women's Day everyone!

Women tend to live longer than men and are often more resilient to cognitive decline as they age. Now researchers might have uncovered a source for this resilience: the second X chromosome in female cells that was previously considered ‘silent’.

www.nature.com/...