Male vs Female brain differences, proven scientifically.
by
, 12-15-2016 at 10:53 AM (3632 Views)
Gender Differences in Brain Functional OrganizationDuring Verbal and Spatial Cognitive Challenges
Zoltan J. Koles • John C. Lind • Pierre Flor-Henry
Abstract
This is a quantitative EEG study of gender-related differences in brain function. It is novel in that toelicit gender differences, it was necessary to apply a spatialfilter to the EEGs that was effective for suppressing com-ponents common to different cognitive states. The studyinvolved estimates of both the source-current power den-sity in the brain and the complex coherence between dif-ferent regions in the brain, the latter probably unique inEEG source analysis. Gender effects are shown in terms ofdifferences in both lateralized source power and complexcoherence in response to verbal and spatial cognitivechallenges. The results provide evidence that verbal andspatial challenges are more lateralized in males than infemales, that females are more verbal than males, thatmales are more spatial than females, that females verbalizemore interpretively than males and that males verbalizemore consequentially than females.
Keywords Normal brain function Gender differences EEG source analysis Source power and coherence
Introduction
The methods of quantitative EEG have been applied instudies of the functional organization of the brain for over35 years (Galin and Ornstein [COLOR=rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)]1972[/COLOR]). Many of these studieshave implicated the left cerebral hemisphere in verbalcognitive challenges and the right hemisphere in spatial,holistic challenges. More recently, fMRI has been used todemonstrate gender differences in language lateralizationwith females showing a greater bilateralization than males(Vikingstad et al. [COLOR=rgb(0.000000%, 0.000000%, 100.000000%)]2000[/COLOR]). We report here the results of astudy of the EEG source configurations present duringverbal and spatial cognitive activation in groups of youngmale and female subjects. Only the alpha band (8–13 Hz)is considered since it is now accepted that this band offrequencies is strongly reflective of normal cognitivefunction. The study is novel in that the EEG is analyzed atthe level of the underlying source currents in terms of bothpower density and complex coherence between differentbrain regions. The results provide evidence that verbal andspatial challenges are more lateralized in males than infemales, that females are more verbal than males, thatmales are more spatial than females, that females verbalizemore interpretively than males and that males verbalizemore consequentially than females.
Who was tested
Data was recorded from a total of 80 normal female and 65normal male right-handed subjects. The mean age of thefemales was 27.2 (s.d. = 8.1) and the males 25.6(s.d. = 8.4) years. All potential subjects were administereda pretest interview.
(Im not copying the methods and results section paper, just the Conclusion)
Discussion and Conclusions
The results obtained from an analysis of the alpha-bandsource-current power densities and complex corticalcoherences underlying the EEG are suggestive of genderdifferences in how the respective brains deal with verbaland spatial cognitive challenges. Interpretation of theresults is based on the assumptions that active cognitivefunctions result in the suppression of alpha activityeverywhere in the brain and that active cognitive functionsare reflected by changes in the connectivity between brainregions. This study has focused on the sources of the EEGat the cortical level by using estimates of both the source-current power density at individual cortical locations andthe complex coherence between cortical regions. To elicitgender differences, it was necessary to apply a commonspatial patterns filter to the EEGs presumably becausepatterns in the EEG common to the two cognitive chal-lenges were sufficient to cloud differences in functionalorganization. It would appear to us that the application ofthe common spatial patterns filter in EEG source analysisinvolving populations is a novel aspect of this work. Inaddition, we are not aware of any previous studies thathave utilized complex coherence to study changes in cor-tical connectivity.
The gender differences suggested by the results are that theverbal and spatial cognitive functions are more lateralized inmales than in females, that females are more verbal thanmales, that males are more spatial than females, that femalesverbalize more interpretively than males and that males ver-balize more consequentially than females. The main evidencefor greater lateralization in males is the source current power differences shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Figure 3 perhaps indicatesas well that not only is verbal cognition bilateral in the femalegroup but that it might actually more heavily involve the righthemisphere than the left. Lateralization in males is also evi-dent from Figs. 7 and 8 where the changes in the complexcoherence are stronger in the left hemisphere during WF andin the right hemisphere during DL while these changes are notas strong in females. Some evidence for females being moreverbal and males being more spatial comes is suggested by thecoherence connection ratios in that more of the left hemisphere is involved in the verbal challenge in females and moreof the right hemisphere is involved in the spatial challenge inmales. The suggestion that females verbalize more interpretively than males and males more consequentially thanfemales comes from the changes in cortical connectivityshown in Fig. 9 where Wernike’s area appears to be moreinvolved in the verbal challenge in females and the left pre-frontal lobe more involved in the males.
I hope this clarifies, I'm going to post this in the biological male racer transgender person.