Dr. Amen and his team in California just released results from a SPECT imaging study conducted on thousands of men and women. The participants were scanned at baseline (not doing a task) and during a concentration task. The scans analyzed 128 brain regions.
The study revealed that women’s brain activity was high in 65 brain regions at baseline, while men’s brain activity was only high in 9. During the concentration task, women’s brains were activated in 48 regions, while men’s brains showed increased activity in only 22 regions.
According to the study authors, in women, brain activity was significantly higher in the region associated with impulse control and decision-making and the regions which play a role in emotions, mood, and anxiety.
The authors believe that this study may shed some light as to why women suffer double the rates of mood and anxiety disorders and double the rates of Alzheimer’s.
For complete information on the study, see Article on Dr. Amen’s study
Elena Mikalsen, Ph.D. Author/Psychologist 