A team of researchers led by Daniel Amen identified the differences between the brains of men and women based on the results of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). In the fairer sex, the prefrontal cortex and limbic region were more active than in men. An article by scientists was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
The survey involved 119 healthy volunteers and 26,683 patients with brain injuries, bipolar and affective disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis and attention deficit disorder. 128 regions of the brain were scanned while at rest and while performing concentration tasks. SPECT made it possible to reveal the difference in blood flow in the areas of the central nervous system of interest to specialists.
The findings may explain why women are more likely than men to suffer from Alzheimer's and depression and why men are more likely to suffer from behavioral disorders, the researchers said.
Amen, who diagnosed his patients based on SPECT results, was criticized by colleagues. For example, the American Psychiatric Society has published a report claiming that neuroimaging technology is not suitable for the precise definition of mental disorders. According to neuroscientists, there is no evidence that SPECT allows diagnosis.
