Focus, Now: Doing A Little Thinking About Male and Female Brains

“The female mind is certainly a devious one, my lord." 
Vetinari looked at his secretary in surprise. "Well, of course it is. It has to deal with the male one.” 
― Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals

Whether you compare it to yin and yang, apples and oranges, or cats and dogs, after this long, it's become quite clear: there are some pretty striking differences between males and females. Although we've all known this for a while, it's now become a lot concrete just exactly what those differences are. In several recent studies, including a study from Cambridge University that came out yesterday, researchers reviewed over a decade's worth of brain imaging data, which showed surprising differences in both the volume and the concentrations of volume in specific regions of male and female brains.

In several recent studies, including the aforementioned study from Cambridge, it has been shown that there is an increased size in male brains which is mainly focused in two regions. These are the left amygdala, which in most species is correlated with aggression, fear and pleasure responses, and the insular cortex, which controls factors such as perception, motor control and self awareness. Interestingly, they found that in females there is also a high density of brain volume, but in regions of the left and right frontal pole. It has been said that this area of the brain is one of the least well understood in science, but has been involved throughout much of human evolution as a main component in many complex behaviors, including multitasking and cognitive functioning.

 In a different study from the University of Pennsylvania, data was collected from male and female brains of all ages using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This water based imaging technique traces and highlights the fiber pathways that connect different regions of the brain; these pathways are a vital part of the entire structural network of the brain. It was shown that females had more pathways within the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain, while males had less concentrated pathways connecting to each hemisphere of the brain. Overall it was noted that females outperformed males in regards to attention, social cognition, and word/face memory, while males did well on spatial processing and sensorimotor speed. Interestingly, these differences in performance were most pronounced in the 12-14 age range, while younger participants had little to no differences and participants over the age of 18 had slightly less. 

In conclusion, it's safe to say that male and female brains are both amazing machines, although they can function in very different ways. I hope that in the future we continue to learn even more about the differences and intricacies between the male and female brains and use those differences in order to better understand and coexist with one another, both in interpersonal relationships and as a species overall.

Citations:
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Brain connectivity study reveals striking differences between men and women." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 December 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202161935.htm>.
University of Cambridge. "Males and females differ in specific brain structures." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140211094201.htm>.