While measuring brain activity with magnetic resonance imaging during blood pressure trials, scientists at UCLA found that men and women had opposite responses in the right front area of the insular cortex, a part of the brain integral to the experience of emotions, blood pressure control, and self-awareness. The insular cortex has five main parts (gyri) serving different roles. The researchers found that the blood pressure response in the front right gyrus showed an opposite pattern in men and women, with men showing a greater right-sided activation in the area while the women showed a lower response. “This is such a critical brain area and we hadn’t expected to find such strong differences between men and women’s brains,” said Paul Macey, Ph.D., the study’s lead author. “This region, the front right insula, is involved with stress and keeping heart rate and blood pressure high. It’s possible the women h...
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