Popular beliefs often assert that men have a more developed sense of direction than women. No, it’s not because of their brain, it’s just their hormones. Indeed, according to would be due to testosterone, the male sex hormone, according to the conclusions of a study published in the medical journalBehavioral Brain Research.
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) carried out an experiment with 18 men and 18 women. They asked them to find their way around a virtual maze using 3D glasses and a controller. Throughout the experiment, the researchers observed participants’ brain activity using MRI scans.
This experience revealed that men were more successful than women, completing twice as many tasks by taking shortcuts and resorting to the use of cardinal points (North, South, East, West) for orientation.
“The men’s sense of direction was more effective. They got to their destination faster,” said Carl Pintzka, researcher in the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and co-author of the study. .
Testosterone improves orientation
In a second experiment, the researcher gave 21 women a drop of testosterone and 21 others a placebo. Women who received the male sex hormone were found to be more adept at moving around and using the cardinal points for orientation.
The two experiments revealed that men and women use different parts of their brains for orientation. Men use the hippocampus, the part of the brain linked to the cardinal points, more than women, who rely more on visual cues to navigate.
“As the loss of geographic landmarks is one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease Recalls the author, “this study will help other scientists to better understand the development of the disease and, since twice as many women suffer from this disease, it could be linked to sex hormones”.
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