MALE BRAINS-FUNCTIONAL MRI SCAN-TERRITORY

RESEARCHERS SAY THAT UNDER FUNCTIONAL MRI SCANS, REWARD CIRCUITS FIRE OFF IN MUCH GREATER PROPORTION IN MALES THAN IN FEMALES WHEN TERRITORY AND RESOURCES ARE ACQUIRED IN CONTROLLED STUDY VIDEO GAME.

"After analyzing the imaging data for the entire group, the researchers found that the participants showed activation in the brain's mesocorticolimbic center, the region typically associated with reward and addiction. Male brains, however, showed much greater activation, and the amount of activation was correlated with how much territory they gained. (This wasn't the case with women.) Three structures within the reward circuit - the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex - were also shown to influence each other much more in men than in women. And the better connected this circuit was, the better males performed in the game."

The findings indicate, the researchers said, that successfully acquiring territory in a computer game format is more rewarding for men than for women.



---
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204140115.htm

--