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Emotional Wiring Different in Men and Women
Robin Lloyd
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.comThu Apr 20, 10:00 AM ET
Men and women are actually from the same planet, but scientists now have the first strong evidence that the emotional wiring of the se*es is fundamentally different.
An almond-shaped cluster of neurons that processes experiences such as fear and aggression hooks up to contrasting brain functions in men and women at rest, the new research shows.
For men, the cluster "talks with" brain regions that help them respond to sensors for what's going on outside the body, such as the visual cortex and an area that coordinates motor actions.
For women, the cluster communicates with brain regions that help them respond to sensors inside the body, such as the insular cortex and hypothalamus. These areas tune in to and regulate women's hormones, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and respiration.
"Throughout evolution, women have had to deal with a number of internal stressors, such as childbirth, that men haven't had to experience," said study co-author Larry Cahill of the University of California Irvine. "What is fascinating about this is the brain seems to have evolved to be in tune with those different stressors."
The finding, published in the recent issue of the journal NeuroImage, could help researchers learn more about se*-related differences in anxiety, autism, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The new study focused on activity in the amygdala, a cluster of neurons found on both sides of the brain and involved for both se*es in hormone and other involuntary functions, as well as emotions and perception. Cahill already knew that the se*es use different sides of their brains to process and store long-term memories, based on his earlier work. He also has shown that a particular drug, Propranolol, can block memory differently in men and women.
Cahill and his co-author Lisa Kilpatrick, scanned the brains of 36 healthy men and 36 healthy women. The subjects were told to relax with their eyes closed during the scan, so that differences between the sexes could be studied at rest rather than during heavy lifting like accessing memories.
The scans also showed that men's and women's amygdalas are polar opposites in terms of connections with other parts of the brain. In men, the right amygdala is more active and shows more connections with other brain regions. In women, the same is true of the left amygdala.
Scientists still have to find out if one's se* also affects the wiring of other regions of the brain. It could be that while men and women have basically the same hardware, it's the software instructions and how they are put to use that makes the se*es seem different.
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mom4 said:Maybe it's not very nice to say... and this isn't directed at you, Kathianne... but....
DUH!
And thanks for posting this article, K.
Quit the liberal name game crap. It has nothing to do with this article.William Joyce said:I love it when science confirms the wisdom of our ancestors. Liberals are so cocksure that whatever we think is contrary to modern science. Nowadays they're starting to look like the backward ones.
William Joyce said:I love it when science confirms the wisdom of our ancestors. Liberals are so cocksure that whatever we think is contrary to modern science. Nowadays they're starting to look like the backward ones.
Mr.Conley said:Someone forgot to censor the second to last sex in the article.
I will assume you are speaking of my use of ****** in some posts. That happens at school, I get a little cop, holding out his white glove saying, "Form data refused". Then I have to try and figure out his fascist problem. The filters are bad, I can't figure out how they would even protect a younger kid than I'm teaching, when an asterisk will get ya through. 
Kagom said:Quit the liberal name game crap. It has nothing to do with this article.
As for my resonse to the article: REALLY? THERE IS A DIFFERENCE? I SURE AM INFORMED NOW! *clicks heels together in a deadpan manner*
Yeah, and little girls kept yammering and little boys made guns out of kitchen utensils. I did buy into the 'culture' deal through the birth of my son, following the eldest, a daughter.Abbey Normal said:K, do you not remember that liberals were the force behind the feminist movement, wherein we were all told that there are no differences between men and women other than their sex organs?
Kathianne said:Yeah, and little girls kept yammering and little boys made guns out of kitchen utensils. I did buy into the 'culture' deal through the birth of my son, following the eldest, a daughter.
Now I will say, reasonable 'cultural parenting' may help girls become a bit more aggressive and boys a bit more verbal, but it's a limited deal. In my experience, it's easier to make the girls more aggressive, than the other.
and practical experience tells me there is no way to get the boys to sit still in class!Abbey Normal said:Exactly. As a friend of mine once said, if you take away boys' toy guns and swords, they will just make new ones out of cardboard.
:2guns:
Or anywhere else!Kathianne said:and practical experience tells me there is no way to get the boys to sit still in class!
