Sex Differences in the Brain Are Misunderstood
Dec 22, 2025
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- Presidential Special Lectures
This Presidential Special Lecture was recorded Nov. 17, 2025, at Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego.
Sex differences in the brain are real, but they’re not what many people think of when they hear about them. This lecture will discuss some of the historical and current controversies surrounding sex differences in the brain; present evidence for different types of brain sex differences with an emphasis on molecular mechanisms of synaptic modulation; and explain the value of studying both sexes to ensure that advances in science and medicine have maximal impact for human health.
About the Contributor
Dr. Woolley is the William Deering Chair in Biological Sciences and Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology at Northwestern University. She specializes in neural plasticity, neurobiology of stress, social determinants of health, estrogen actions in the brain, sex differences in the brain, and the study of seizures and epilepsy. Dr. Woolley received her PhD in Neuroscience from Rockefeller University in the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology with Dr. Bruce S. McEwen and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington under Dr. Philip A. Schwartzkroin. She has published many outstanding papers on topics within the field of neuroendocrinology and has been featured various times in SfN’s own Journal of Neuroscience.
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