The "sex-specific effect:" Evaluating analytical approaches to sex-dependence in the behavioral and brain sciences.

ABSTRACT: Detecting a sex difference in response to a treatment or intervention, often reported as a "sex-specific effect," requires statistical comparison of the response across sex. Here, we investigated analytical approaches used to test for such effects in the behavioral and brain sciences. Of 200 recent articles containing terms such as 'sex-specific' or 'gender-dependent' in their titles, only 24% presented appropriate evidence supporting the claim: the effect was compared statistically across sex and results consistent with the claim were reported. In most articles (58%), no test was conducted that could have supported the title claim. Only 15% of studies on non-human animals supported the claim with appropriate evidence, which was significantly less frequently than studies on human participa

SUBMITTER: Olivier MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12889599 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature