Doctors analysed records of over 46,000 brain imaging scans, and discovered than women’s brains were more active than men’s.

Research: Women’s brain activity is higher than men’s

When people perform certain tasks, research tools allow to see the blood flow in different regions of the brain. Women’s brains were found to be more active in multiple areas as compared to men. 128 regions of the brain were checked to arrive to the conclusions.

Areas more active in women:

• Prefrontal cortex that is linked to focus and impulse control
• Limbic brain, responsible for emotions and mood

Areas more active in men:

• Visual centres
• Coordination centres

Tomography images from 46,034 scans, collected by 9 clinics, were compared in the study, Science Daily reported. People were performing various cognitive tasks or resting while undergoing the tests. The flow of blood to certain areas of the brain was noticeably changing, depending on the activity.

Doctor of psychiatry Daniel G. Amen, the leading author of the study, said the gender differences identified in the study will be instrumental in understanding brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and the risks for certain patients.

Tomography image shows the flow of blood to certain areas of the brain

How brain disorders affect men and women

• Females have higher rates of Alzheimer’s and depression (a risk factor for Alzheimer’s decease), as well as anxiety disorders.
• Men are more affected by ADHD (attention deficit disorder). Men also much more often commit criminal offences and break rules (by about 1400%) as compared to women.

The larger flow of blood to prefrontal cortex in females may explain why women are traditionally considered more emphatic, caring, and peaceful. At the same time, because of the stronger flow of blood to limbic areas, females are more prone to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

The control centres in males responsible for coordination and vision were getting an increased blood supply during tasks, which could explain why men are traditionally through to be better at spatial tasks, such as reading maps.

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