Emotional Wiring Different in Men and Women

[Astronuc]

Men and women are actually from the same planet, but scientists now have the first strong evidence that the emotional wiring of the sexes 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 into 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."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060420/sc_space/emotionalwiringdifferentinmenandwomen

An almond-shaped cluster of neurons. So, is this why people are nuts?

 

[Pengwuino]

I knew women weren't connected with reality... and this study proves it!

 

[Moonbear]

I knew women weren't connected with reality... and this study proves it!

And just how did you come to that particular interpretation?

This is actually an interesting study, by a respected group, so before this thread gets further side-tracked by the GD crowd, I'm moving it over to M&B!

 

[Astronuc]

And just how did you come to that particular interpretation?

This is actually an interesting study, by a respected group, so before this thread gets further side-tracked by the GD crowd, I'm moving it over to M&B!

I guess we'll have to start a separate "Roast the pengwuino" thread in GD.

Meanwhile -

The new study focused on activity in the amygdala, a cluster of neurons found on both sides of the brain and involved for both sexes in hormone and other involuntary functions, as well as emotions and perception.

 

[zoobyshoe]

This is pretty interesting. It add to the previously known differences between male and female brains such as women's 20% larger corpus callosum.

The amydala are all around incredibly important organs. In addition to the functions mentioned in the article they are the activators of the hippocampi which are the "governors" of memory.

 

[sprinklehopper]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060420/sc_space/emotionalwiringdifferentinmenandwomen

An almond-shaped cluster of neurons. So, is this why people are nuts?

This is the hub of the sex differences. The picture is widespread. The whole male / female brain structure is a reversal. Male brains are neuron biased towards sucking in sensory information to dead ends, where as female brains are connective biased towards flowing data packets round the brain and out anyway possible, mouth, expression etc. The female brain is hence more limbic and reflective due to fact that their greater amount of white matter lies underneath the cortical neuron layer. The reverse applies to the male brain. Testosterone which tends to push itself out to the grey matter (by indirectly interfering with the repair process and hence strength of white matter) pushes the andrenaline system which once again demands that the chemistry itself is outwardly attentive.

The reversals go to EEG. Male EEG tends towards closing itself down in the absence of stimulation, so it is sensory hungry, where as female EEG climbs higher at less stimulus, and so can get overloaded by stimulus.

Females are more prone to sensory illusion as a result and men less so.

 

[Moonbear]

The female brain is hence more limbic and reflective due to fact that their greater amount of white matter lies underneath the cortical neuron layer.

Generally, males have more white matter than females.

How would you make the judgement that female brains are more limbic? In limbic regions of the brain, there are sex differences in both directions, depending on the specific region. Some are larger in females, and some larger in males. One cannot say, based on that, that females are "more limbic."

What support do you have for these statements? I am unaware of ANY studies examining sex differences in brain regions activated during reflective thinking, so it seems especially premature to decide there is such a difference in that. Do you have publications that support that statement?

Testosterone which tends to push itself out to the grey matter (by indirectly interfering with the repair process and hence strength of white matter) pushes the andrenaline system which once again demands that the chemistry itself is outwardly attentive.

What is that sentence supposed to mean? Testosterone "pushes" itself out? Huh? And "pushes" the adrenaline system?

With regard to the repair process, there's quite a bit more and stronger evidence that estrogens promote neuroprotection than that testosterone is deleterious. Indeed, neurons are capable of converting testosterone to estradiol. While there are neurons with androgen receptors as well, many of the actions of testosterone on brain function are mediated via estrogen receptors following the aromatization of testosterone to estradiol. This has been tested with the use of aromatase inhibitors as well as comparison of testosterone, estradiol, and the non-aromatizable androgen, DHT.

And, during development, too, there is very strong evidence that it is aromatization of testosterone to estrogen, which can then act on estrogen-receptor-containing neurons, that is mediating sexual differentiation of brain regions.