Figure 6.

Mitochondrial characteristics in the male and female cerebral microcirculation were examined since evidence suggests that metabolic status of this vascular segment is a major determinant of neurological pathologies such as cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and AD and because the occurrence and progression of these neurological diseases vary between the sexes. Major findings are that: (i) Female MVs have a greater abundance of mitochondrial structural and energy-producing proteins as well as more anti-inflammatory/pro-healing proteins associated with mitochondrial activity than males. (ii) Male MVs have a higher abundance of mitochondrial destructive proteins than females. (iii) Female MVs exhibit greater a potential for using alternative fuels than males.