Contraceptives boost social skills in women
Contraceptive pills enhance the brains conversation hub and memory in women. The pill has the potential to increase the grey matter inside the head to make women smarter.
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Contraceptive pills enhance the brain's conversation hub and memory in women. The pill has the potential to increase the grey matter inside the head to make women smarter.
Sex differences in human brain structure have repeatedly been described, but results are inconsistent. However, earlier studies hardly controlled for cycle phase of women or the use of hormonal contraceptives. To study the influence of menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on the human brain structure, researchers studied the structural images of the brain of 42 Austrians. Of these, 14 were men, 14 were women who did not use contraceptive pills and the remaining 14 women used contraceptives. Regional grey matter volumes were compared using high-resolution structural images of the brain in all the participants.
It was found that several areas in the brain looked larger for women who took the pill, irrespective of the brand or formulation of the drug, or how long it had been prescribed for. These areas seemed to be the ones that dealt with social skills and memory.
The study shows that behavioural changes due to contraceptive use are likely to affect those skills that are already better developed in women compared to men.
Sex differences in human brain structure have repeatedly been described, but results are inconsistent. However, earlier studies hardly controlled for cycle phase of women or the use of hormonal contraceptives. To study the influence of menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptives on the human brain structure, researchers studied the structural images of the brain of 42 Austrians. Of these, 14 were men, 14 were women who did not use contraceptive pills and the remaining 14 women used contraceptives. Regional grey matter volumes were compared using high-resolution structural images of the brain in all the participants.
It was found that several areas in the brain looked larger for women who took the pill, irrespective of the brand or formulation of the drug, or how long it had been prescribed for. These areas seemed to be the ones that dealt with social skills and memory.
The study shows that behavioural changes due to contraceptive use are likely to affect those skills that are already better developed in women compared to men.
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