Testosterone in males and females

[mark!]

Is it true that:

- If there’s a site of conflict, shown to males and females, the amygdala is more likely to be activated in females?
- In males, when viewing conflict, testosterone (which is bound to particular brain structures) is secreted, which does not occur in females?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Hmm. Where did you get the information used to generate your questions? If it was from a responsible source, then I probably can find a research paper on it.
BTW:If you use NIH or pubmed as the site to search, you get pretty good references.
I did that. I do not see very much to substantiate either assertion.

However. This not my area of knowledge. So I looked around further.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693622/

This is a review article - that means they did a lot of reading and tried to put together reasonable answers about testosterone and behavior. It does not seem to have much to assert there are answers to your set of questions. There is variation in levels of testosterone secretion in men. Women normally have testosterone at much lower levels than do men, 15 to 70 ng/dL, which is a wide range. There are medical conditions in women, like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, in which women have above normal male hormone levels and may develop male traits like hirsutism. Which means they may grow facial hair, for example.

So what I am saying is there are varying physiological responses in men and women and ranges for normal hormone levels. And normal levels are broad and are age-related. Which means that 'teststerone-mediated' behavior is not simple.

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the primary "on-switch" to initiate the production of testosterone. Synthesis/release of the hormone does not appear to be related as a reaction to visual stimulus, AFAIK.

As far as the amygdala question, I pass. There are PF members who know much more than I do. Maybe @DiracPool or @Pythagorean might have something to say.

 

[mark!]

Thanks for your research!

I got this information from neuroscientist professor Jeanette Norden (Ph.D. Vanderbilt University). It's 10 year old information, and a lot has changed since of course, but a finding like this, being a experimental measurement, that turns out to be completely false, seems rather unlikely to me. Because how could it have been measured in the first place? That's why I came to this forum, because she didn't provide any evidence to her statement.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Well, I am on your side so far. It may have been some kind of clinical observation that Dr. Norden has found. She is a clinical neurologist I believe.
I would simply go with the assertion she made - assuming you got the information from the online course. There should be some associated reading material - like a textbook, some technical papers - something that you can use to corroborate the statements if you want to dig into it more.

And it is good that you have enough interest to try to get the current known information. Neurobiology is rapidly developing.

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Males are the most viligant when it comes to threats. I would take the leap to state that their brains are slightly more aware of the threat that other males pose, so we would see different areas (related to threat reponse) being more active under imaging under certain situations.

Females have been shown to have activity in the fear/submission areas of the brain during intercourse. It is true that the amygdala is involved in that situation. But I would say the males brain may be more or at least equally active under a threat.

Males secret testosterone under many circumstances, so that would not surprise me.

As a side note, I would be interested in finding out if males choose their footwear depending on the ability to respond to a threat. Seems so.

 

[cosmik debris]

As a side note, I would be interested in finding out if males choose their footwear depending on the ability to respond to a threat. Seems so.

I haven't looked for any studies on this but I can say that for myself I am very aware of choosing footwear that enable me to run. For this reason I cannot wear flip-flops or sandals.

Cheers

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I haven't looked for any studies on this but I can say that for myself I am very aware of choosing footwear that enable me to run. For this reason I cannot wear flip-flops or sandals.

Cheers

Yes. I would wonder how they would control for whether the decision is determined by masculine/cultural beliefs or if the footwear is chosen for the practical ability to fight or run?

 

[Drakkith]

Males are the most viligant when it comes to threats. I would take the leap to state that their brains are slightly more aware of the threat that other males pose, so we would see different areas (related to threat reponse) being more active under imaging under certain situations.

Females have been shown to have activity in the fear/submission areas of the brain during intercourse. It is true that the amygdala is involved in that situation. But I would say the males brain may be more or at least equally active under a threat.

Please remember to post references supporting your statements, Freyja. It is incredibly important to always have a good reference when discussing biology and medicine, as the human body is insanely complex and most "facts" people have about it end up being wrong.

As a side note, I would be interested in finding out if males choose their footwear depending on the ability to respond to a threat. Seems so.

I seriously doubt men choose their footwear to respond to "threats". It is far more likely that men choose their footwear to be appropriate for their job (work boots, dress shoes for a suit, etc), to be appropriate for socializing (my Nike Airmax), or to be comfortable (my dad's house shoes).

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I seriously doubt men choose their footwear to respond to "threats". It is far more likely that men choose their footwear to be appropriate for their job (work boots, dress shoes for a suit, etc), to be appropriate for socializing (my Nike Airmax), or to be comfortable (my dad's house shoes).

Yes, Drakkith, I will remember to continue citing my references. No problem watching my own back on here, whatsoever.

I was just throwing the footwear idea out there from observations I've made and as a scientist-in-training would love to see the scientific method applied to my hypothesis. How science get's done, you know? :)

 

[cosmik debris]

Yes, Drakkith, I will remember to continue citing my references. No problem watching my own back on here, whatsoever.

I was just throwing the footwear idea out there from observations I've made and as a scientist-in-training would love to see the scientific method applied to my hypothesis. How science get's done, you know? :)

I've thought about this too. As I said before I am definitely one of those people who choose clothing that would enable me to deal with threats. I'm sure there are many factors involved, types of activities one is involved in, living in a country prone to earthquakes or a country with political uncertainties. I can't imagine living in Syria and going out in high heels, although I'm sure some do.

Cheers

 

[Fervent Freyja]

I've thought about this too. As I said before I am definitely one of those people who choose clothing that would enable me to deal with threats. I'm sure there are many factors involved, types of activities one is involved in, living in a country prone to earthquakes or a country with political uncertainties. I can't imagine living in Syria and going out in high heels, although I'm sure some do.

Cheers

Also, men are more at risk for being harmed by other men, it would seem to make them more aware. By large, universally, women tend to group together. Gender shouldn't make too much of a difference in ability to respond to a threat. Being the smallest on the playground means you can run and move the fastest with practice...

 

[Tom.G]

Being the smallest on the playground means you can run and move the fastest with practice...

Ummm... How many short-legged Sprinters have won medals competing with the taller versions?

 

[Fervent Freyja]

Ummm... How many short-legged Sprinters have won medals competing with the taller versions?

You're so right. I was referring to the average playground, where you can practice chasing a taller one freestyle everyday. I really only could catch many of them by learning how they moved and using it to my advantage... You're right.