Pharmaceutical Implications of Sex-Related RNA Divergence in Psychiatric Disorders

Male–female differences have long been observed in the epidemiology and clinical presentation of psychiatric disorders. Current understanding is based on sex hormones and on transcription patterns governed by the sex chromosomes, and specific sexually dimorphic pathways were only recently identified. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and pharmaceutical implications remain unclear. We highlight the importance of studying the sex-specific patterns of mental diseases at all levels from genomics to pharmaceutics. In particular, we discuss transcriptional level differences between the sexes in psychiatric disorders and outline the possible impact of such research on future pharmaceutical developments.