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The Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory
FOR SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE BRAIN

ABOUT US
Director: Jill M. Goldstein, PhD
The Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory of Sex Differences in the Brain integrates scientists from clinical and basic neuroscience perspectives to address questions of why men and women are at different risks for psychiatric disorders and their comorbidity with general medical disorders, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). The work of the lab takes a lifespan approach to their investigations targeting naturalistic windows of opportunity for the study of sex differences when the brain and body are differentially flooded or depleted of gonadal hormones, e.g., fetal development and puberty, and, for female-specific periods, pregnancy and the menopausal transition compared to age-matched men. The work in the lab is particularly focused on the roles of steroid hormones, genes, and markers of immune function in understanding sex effects in major depression, psychoses, memory decline with aging and comorbidity of these with cardiometabolic disorders. We believe that an understanding of these hormonal, genetic, and immune pathways will provide knowledge for the development of sex-dependent or sex-specific therapeutics.

Research
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Read MoreInnovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (ICON)

The CNL sits in the broader context of this recently launched initiative, a collaborative effort between Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, partnering with the Women’s Heart Alliance and WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s
Founder and Executive Director, Jill M. Goldstein, Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital
Director of Global Policy & Programs, Ana Langer, M.D. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
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Goals
Discover
Discover a more robust scientific entity on shared pathophysiology for understanding sex differences in disorders of the heart and brain, i.e., disorders of mood, cardiometabolic function, and memory.
Collaboration
Build stronger ties between the academic enterprise, clinical services, programs and policies across Harvard and other institutions in the US and globally
Translate
Accelerate translation – preclinical to clinical, to practice, programs, and policy
Education
Strengthen pedagogy in the field of women’s health and sex differences in medicine
Advocate
Increase visibility and awareness at the local, national, and global levels
Featured Media
When it comes to heart and brain disorders, sex mattersWomen’s Health Research at Yale
SeXX Matters: Examining the Origins of Depression and Heart Disease
JAMA Psychiatry | July 8th, 2020:
Sex Differences in Disorders of the Brain and Heart—A Global Crisis of Multimorbidity and Novel Opportunity