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| Men and women's brains are 'wired differently' | Men and women's brains are 'wired differently' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Men and women's brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why the sexes excel at certain tasks, brain scans reveal. | Men and women's brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why the sexes excel at certain tasks, brain scans reveal. |
| US researchers at the University of Pennsylvania scanned the brains of nearly 1,000 men, women, boys and girls and found striking differences. | US researchers at the University of Pennsylvania scanned the brains of nearly 1,000 men, women, boys and girls and found striking differences. |
| Male brains are wired front to back, with few connections bridging the two hemispheres. | Male brains are wired front to back, with few connections bridging the two hemispheres. |
| In females, the connections criss-cross between left and right. | In females, the connections criss-cross between left and right. |
| These differences might explain why men, in general, tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, whereas women are more equipped for multitasking, say the researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). | These differences might explain why men, in general, tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, whereas women are more equipped for multitasking, say the researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). |
| The same volunteers were asked to perform a series of cognitive tests, and the results appeared to support this notion. | The same volunteers were asked to perform a series of cognitive tests, and the results appeared to support this notion. |
| Women scored well on attention, word and face memory, and social cognition. Men performed better on spatial processing and sensori-motor speed. | Women scored well on attention, word and face memory, and social cognition. Men performed better on spatial processing and sensori-motor speed. |
| Researcher Dr Ruben Gur said: "It's quite striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are. | Researcher Dr Ruben Gur said: "It's quite striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are. |
| "Detailed connectome maps of the brain will not only help us better understand the differences between how men and women think, but it will also give us more insight into the roots of neurological disorders, which are often sex related." | "Detailed connectome maps of the brain will not only help us better understand the differences between how men and women think, but it will also give us more insight into the roots of neurological disorders, which are often sex related." |
| But Prof Heidi Johansen-Berg, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said the brain was too complex and organ to be able to make broad generalisations. | |
| "We know that there is no such thing as 'hard wiring' when it comes to brain connections. Connections can change throughout life, in response to experience and learning. | |
| "Often, sophisticated mathematical approaches are used to analyse and describe these brain networks. These methods can be useful to identify differences between groups, but it is often challenging to interpret those differences in biological terms." |