Navigation

Science Snippet

Right brain, left brain, male brain, female brain – are there really differences between these four entities? Studies have proposed that the left brain is the analytical part and the right brain is the creative part, but what about male and female brains? Do they differ? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania used a new technique to follow nerve tracts in the brains of 428 men and boys, and 521 women and girls. The technique, called “diffusion tensor imaging,” permits visualization of nerve fibers in the living brain. The results show that nerve tracts in the male brain are mostly localized within each hemisphere, and they run front to back. Nerve tracts in female brains showed massive intercommunication between the left and right hemispheres. The researchers believe these results show that the male brain is set up to enhance connectivity between perception and coordinated action. The female brain, on the other hand, is designed to enhance communication between left and right brains to provide for analytical and intuitive processing. Basically, the research demonstrates a solid basis for the differences between cognitive skills in the two sexes. (The Economist, Dec. 7, 2013; Ingalhal, et al, 2013, Proc. Nat. Academy of Sciences, Nov., 2013)