Ow! Boys and girls feel pain differently, according to a study from
the University of California at Los Angeles. Research there found that
male and female participants with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have
different mental wiring for registering aches.
The study, published in the November issue of
Gastroenterology,involved 26 women and 24 men with
IBS, which causes chronic and severe discomfort in the abdomen. The
disorder affects 15 to 20 percent of Americans. The researchers took
positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans of patients while
subjecting them to a mildly painful stimulus.
Some areas of the brain were activated in the same way for both
genders, but some regions reacted differently. The female brain was more
active in the limbic regions, which are centers for emotion. Male brains
had greater activity in cognitive regions, where analytical thought takes
place.
Study coauthor Bruce Naliboff, a psychologist from UCLA, gives an
evolutionary explanation for the difference. Male cognitive areas may be
more directly connected to the perception of pain due to a historical
need to quickly make a fight or flight decision. Women, on the other
hand, may be more emotionally responsive due to an evolutionary need to
protect their young.
The results may signal the development of gender-specific pain
treatments. The researchers note that one drug now offered for IBS
affects the limbic system and is known to work better on women than on
men.
Tags:
abdomen,
areas of the brain,
both genders,
boys and girls,
cognitive areas,
emission tomography,
evolutionary explanation,
female participants,
gender,
IBS,
irritable bowel syndrome,
limbic,
limbic system,
male brains,
pain,
painful stimulus,
ucla,
university of california,
university of california at los angeles
