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closeMen: thicker brains or thicker skulls?
Posted by andrebrunoni on 12 Mar 2010 at 02:51 GMT
I have read this article with particular interest, as it is very interesting and might have important implications for psychiatry, especially for personality disorders. It is worth notice, though, that the electrodes (Anode/Cathode) were placed over the forehead where VPC is located. Interestingly, in this particular area, the bone skull is thicker in men than women (Lynnerup, 2005, Head and Face Medicine). Therefore, in this area men have a stronger electric resistance and less current reaches and modifies neuronal circuitry. Moreover, although the difference between genders in skull thickness is small, the net neuromodulatory effects observed in females were also small (circa 5-10%). Thus, it is plausible to wonder whether the differences between gender observed in this study could be at least partially explained by a thicker skull in men (or a thinner skull in women). In other words, do the authors think it is plausible to conjecture that the observed results were more a matter for the body than the soul?