For years, Psychologists and relationship counselors have been asserting that the brains of men and women are distinct. These claims have now gained scientific validation. A recent study by researchers from Stanford University, using artificial intelligence to analyze brain scans of hundreds of men and women, has confirmed these differences in brain activity between the two genders. The researchers assert that the accuracy of their findings is about 90%.
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The study involved feeding approximately 1,500 brain scans of men and women from the US into artificial intelligence software. The AI system focused on two main brain areas: the limbic system, which is responsible for an array of brain functions including emotion, long-term memory, and the sense of smell; and another area known as the striatum – which is crucial for coordination, planning, decision-making, and motivation.
To unravel the gender-specific brain differences, researchers started ‘training’ the artificial intelligence system to distinguish between a man’s brain scan and a woman’s. Gradually, the AI system began to identify differences in various regions of the brain scans. Eventually, it could autonomously identify whether a brain belonged to a man or a woman. According to the researchers, the AI system’s ability to determine the sex of the subject based solely on the brain imaging signifies that there are subtle structural and functional variations in the brains of the two sexes.
The researchers believe that the findings could potentially aid in identifying factors that contribute to neurological and psychiatric disorders. It could also help understand the differences in the manifestation of these disorders between men and women. For instance, Autism and Parkinson’s disease are more prevalent in men, while Multiple Sclerosis and Depression are more common in women.
Prof. Vinod Menon, an expert in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the head of the research team, stated, “Sex plays a pivotal role in the development of the human brain, its aging, and the manifestation of diseases. Identifying gender differences is a critical step towards gaining a deeper understanding of psychiatric and neurological diseases and issues.”
Dr. Lior Unger, an expert in neurosurgery and pain medicine from Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center, explained, “Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated that there are differences in the size of various brain areas between men and women. These differences vary according to the relevant brain function. In our research at Sheba, which looks at the optimal location for burns and the implantation of brain electrodes, we found that not just the anatomy, but also the fibers connecting different centers differ between men and women. These insights are incredibly valuable not only for planning the surgery but also for understanding how women and men differ from each other. The findings could potentially lead to the development of new diagnostic methods and treatments that are more gender-specific.”
