ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) — A new Washington University School of Medicine study finds women's brains stay younger longer than men's.
The study finds women's brains are an average of 3.8 years younger in terms of metabolism than men's of the same chronological age.
Washington University radiology professor and researcher Dr. Marcus Raichle says this could explain why women are more likely than men to stay mentally sharp later in life.
"These things run in parallel and certain mental processes are better preserved in women than men," Dr. Raichle told KMOX Health Editor Fred Bodimer. "We may be getting a first glimpse as to what's in the background of the brain."
Raichle says the differences start in puberty and become more evident as men and women reach their 20s. Those differences persisted up until at least age 82, which was the oldest person in the study.
