His Brain Her Brain an Article Review free essay sample

To say that men and women are different wouldn’t be declaring anything anyone doesn’t already know, but scientists want to know why; through tests and research, studies have shown that our brains might be structurally, chemically, and functionally different. This raises the likelihood that sex-specific treatments might need to be developed when dealing with a wide variety of mental disorders.Until recently, scientists believed that the differences between male and female brains were limited only to their ‘†¦mating behavior†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢; however, a sudden increase in research accenting the influence of sex on an assortment of cognitions and behavior (such as, ‘†¦memory, emotion, vision, hearing and the response to stress hormones) has since come to light. These studies have been accelerated by advances in technology and the availability of ‘sophisticated imaging techniques’ such as the PET and fMRI.These machines expose dissimilarities in an assortment of areas in the brain. One such study, conducted by Jill M. We will write a custom essay sample on His Brain Her Brain an Article Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Goldstein of Harvard Medical School, involved the use of the MRI to measure the sizes of cortical and subcortical areas. Results indicated a bulkier frontal cortex, as well as parts of the limbic system, in women; these areas are relative to cognitive functioning and emotional response. One the other hand, men were discovered to have a larger parietal cortex and amygdala; areas that control space perception and adrenaline flow.Studies have also been done on the differences in stress-response in relation to the amygdala and hippocampi of men and women. Rat experiments, involving separation anxiety of babies, show that stressful situations caused an increase in serotonin production in males and a decrease in females; thought it is hard to juxtapose this information over to children, it could suggest that ‘†¦separation anxiety might differentially affect the emotional well-being of male and female children†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Additionally, male and female brains have been found to process, and deal with, information and tressors differently, and that ‘†¦sex-related (brain) hemispheric disparities in how the brain processes emotional images begin within 300 milliseconds†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, or before a person consciously knows what they’ve processed . This could affect how the approach to treatment in disorders such as PTSD. Information shows that serotonin production in men is, on average, 52% higher than in women, which might explain why women are more vulnerable to depression; a disorder commonly treated with drugs that increase serotonin levels. The overall idea behind this article is cool; men and women are different, our make-up is different; it makes sense that our brains would function dissimilar as well. The reading was pretty dry, but I could see how scientists get excited about some of these studies. It’s fascinating to think that someday we might understand the impact of sex (gender) on brain functioning well enough to apply it to treatments that are sex-specific.