Women really DO overthink things! Scans reveal they have ‘more active brains than men’

IT'S often said that women overthink things more than men, but until now that has been nothing but a stereotype.

In the biggest brain imaging survey ever conducted scientists have discovered that the brains of women are significantly more active in than men's.

Particularly in the cerebral cortex, which is primarily involved in impulse control and focus and in the emotional areas of the brain, involved in mood and anxiety.

But the visual and coordination parts of the brain were more active in men.

Lead author Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and found of Amen Clinics in California, said: "This is a very important study to help understand gender-based brain differences.

"The quantifiable differences we identified between men and women are important for understanding gender-based risk for brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."

Daniel and his team looked at the brain scans of 119 healthy volunteers and more than 26,000 patients with a range of psychiatric conditions including brain trauma, bipolar, mood disorders, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

They looked at 128 brain regions to determine which parts were more active at baseline and during concentration tasks.

Volunteers and patients were given cognitive tasks while researchers measured the blood flow in their brain using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Daniel and his team hope that by understanding the difference between each individuals scan could help them understand different brain disorders.

Women have significantly higher rates of Alzheimer's disease, depression - which is itself is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease - and anxiety disorders.

And men have higher rates of ADHD, conduct-related problems, and incarceration.

George Perry, editor in chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, said: "Precisely defining the physiological and structural basis of gender differences in brain function will illuminate Alzheimer's disease and understanding our partners."

The fact that women showed greater blood flow in the prefrontal cortex compared to men may explain why women tend to exhibit greater strengths in the areas of empathy, intuition, collaboration, self-control, and appropriate concern.

The study also found increased blood flow in limbic areas of the brains of women, which may  partially explain why women are more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and eating disorders.

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