Men vs. Women

Men Are From Mars
Neuroscientists Find That Men And Women Respond Differently To Stress

April 1, 2008 — Functional magnetic resonance imaging of men and women under stress showed neuroscientists how their brains differed in response to stressful situations. In men, increased blood flow to the left orbitofrontal cortex suggested activation of the "fight or flight" response. In women, stress activated the limbic system, which is associated with emotional responses.

There are many books and movies that highlight the psychological differences between men and women -- Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus, for example; but now, neurologists say they have brain images that prove male and female brains do work differently -- at least under stress.

Same species, different genders … And now, a new high-tech scientific study reveals the differences between men and women may really start at the top. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania used a high-tech imaging method to scan the brains of 16 men and 16 women. The subjects were placed inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine, or fMRI.

"Using this state-of-the art-functional magnetic resonance imaging technique, we try to directly visualize what the human brain does during stress," Jiongjiong Wang, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of radiology and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told Ivanhoe.

Researchers then purposely induced moderate performance stress by asking the men and women to count backward by 13, starting at 1,600. Researchers monitored the subject's heart rate. They also measured the blood flow to the brain and checked for cortisol, a stress hormone.

When the scans were completed, neuroscientists consistently found differences between the men's stressed-out brains and the women's. Men responded with increased blood flow to the right prefrontal cortex, responsible for "fight or flight." Women had increased blood flow to the limbic system, which is also associated with a more nurturing and friendly response.

Doctors say this information may someday lead to a screening process for mood disorders. "In the future, when physicians treat patients -- especially depression, PTSD -- they need to take this into account that really, gender matters," Dr. Wang explains.

Other experts caution that hormones, genetics and environmental factors may influence these results, bringing to light yet another difference between men and women. Neuroscientists say the changes in the brain during stress response also lasted longer in women.

WHAT IS fMRI? Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field rather than X-rays to take clear and detailed pictures of internal organs and tissues. fMRI uses this technology to identify regions of the brain where blood vessels are expanding, chemical changes are taking place, or extra oxygen is being delivered.

These are indications that a particular part of the brain is processing information and giving commands to the body. As a patient performs a particular task, the metabolism will increase in the brain area responsible for that task, changing the signal in the MRI image. So by performing specific tasks that correspond to different functions, scientists can locate the part of the brain that governs that function.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT: Certain events act as "stressors," triggering the nervous system to produce hormones to respond to the perceived danger. Specifically, the adrenal glands produce more adrenaline and cortisol, releasing them into the bloodstream. This speeds up heart and breathing rates, and increases blood pressure and metabolism. These and other physical changes help us to react quickly and effectively under pressure.

This is known as the "stress response," or more commonly, as the "fight or flight response." But if even low levels of stress go on too long, it can be detrimental to one's health. The nervous system remains slightly activated and continues to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period, leaving the person feeling depleted or overwhelmed, and weakening the body's immune system.

STRESS-REDUCING TIPS: There are several easy, practical things people can do to reduce the amount of stress in their lives. (1) Be realistic and don't try to be perfect, or expect others to be so. (2) Don't over-schedule; cut out an activity or two when you start to feel overwhelmed. (3) Get a good night's sleep. (4) Get regular exercise to manage stress -- just not excessive or compulsive exercise -- and follow a healthy diet. (5) Learn to relax by building time into your schedule for reading or a nice long bath.

Oh well.

If this is true of all people then does that mean that transgendered people, who believe they were born in the wrong-gendered body in relation to their mind, are actually wrong about their assessment? They were born in the right body, but they're confused? Which side of the brain is stimulated during stress in a hermaphrodite's brain, I wonder.

Originally Posted by Beloved

If this is true of all people then does that mean that transgendered people, who believe they were born in the wrong-gendered body in relation to their mind, are actually wrong about their assessment? They were born in the right body, but they're confused? Which side of the brain is stimulated during stress in a hermaphrodite's brain, I wonder.

Good questions. Are these findings 100% physiological, or are they partly socio/psychological? It reminds me of that announcement that scientists found a gene in fruit flies that, when changed, would make the flies homosexual. Of course, all it really did was make the flies unable to determine the gender of other flies. What does different parts of the brain being stimulated actually mean in the big picture?

Well I'm sure nobody with an average amount of common sense ever thought that men and women were psychologically identical. If there are so many superficial physical differences, there must be neurological ones too.

Originally Posted by Beloved

If this is true of all people then does that mean that transgendered people, who believe they were born in the wrong-gendered body in relation to their mind, are actually wrong about their assessment? They were born in the right body, but they're confused? Which side of the brain is stimulated during stress in a hermaphrodite's brain, I wonder.

It's my opinion that, except for possible damage/disorders, people who think they are in the wrong body think so because of society's influence on them. They want qualities that are admired in the other gender but frowned upon (more or less) in theirs. Men who go and chop it off don't want to be women, they want to be beautiful.

Science doesn't recognize people-in-wrong body syndrome, it recognizes diseases like Klinefelter Syndrome (XXY genes in men), , Turner syndrome (X0 in females), and other diseases like for instance the one with the lacking enzyme for testosterone production. If the fetus is not subjected to testosterone prenatally (before birth) it will not develop male physiological characters, and at the same time be a dysfunctional female.

Most of these diseases if discovered VERY early in life can be treated with hormone replacement therapy. some like turner are fatal.

Originally Posted by Beloved

If this is true of all people then does that mean that transgendered people, who believe they were born in the wrong-gendered body in relation to their mind, are actually wrong about their assessment? They were born in the right body, but they're confused? Which side of the brain is stimulated during stress in a hermaphrodite's brain, I wonder.

Actually, I was watching PBS at 4 in the morning, and there was a show on called Rediscovering Biology. It was on Trans people, and there was a story that I think relates to your post.

So there was a boy, who when he was young, had a bris, but the man screwed up. In order for the boy to live a full live, a doctor recomended getting the boy a sex change to a woman. Was never told the truth until 14, when she said that she knew that she felt like she should've been born a boy. And at 18, did go back to a man.

Which begs the question, Is there a way our genes can say what we're supposed to be involving gender?

I believe there is Decon. The extra portion of chromosomes on our Xgene.

Was this difference found in all participants, or just in most? Most females are F types, and most males are T types, and I am curious whether there is any relationship between type and brain functioning, or if gender is actually what determines the difference. I have heard, for instance, that introverts have brains that react differently to certain chemicals than extravert brains, but there isn't a strong gender correlation with the E/I. Is it possible that the T/F distinction has been discovered accidentally during a study on gender differences, or is it universal regardless of type? Do T women and F men still have the brain reactions associated with their genders?

Hmmm, so does that mean I'm an exterior male but an interior female? I wouldn't doubt it.

I suppose it would explain my emotional overreaction to the T types after being hurt by them. Many women develop a fear of men in general, but I have never feared the F males. I always saw them as safe, and the T types, male or female, seemed intimidating or threatening. I guess I was just doing the same thing as other women I have known, only I was basing it on how psychologically masculine or feminine people were instead of turning against a specific physical gender. It makes sense, because I don't place as much importance on physical things. When I am physically attacked, I don't even try to fight back, but when I am psychologically attacked, I will defend myself every time, sometimes against my better judgment.