The female brain PDF
Preview The female brain
The Female Brain Second Edition Conceptual Advances in Brain Research A series of books focusing on brain dynamics and information processing systems of the brain. Edited by Robert Miller, Otago Centre for Theoretical Studies in Psychiatry and Neuroscience, New Zealand (Editor-in-Chief); Günther Palm, University of Ulm, Germany; and Gordon Shaw, University of California at Irvine, USA. Brain Dynamics and the Striatal Complex edited by R. Miller and J.R. Wickens Complex Brain Functions: Conceptual Advances in Russian Neuroscience edited by R. Miller, A.M. Ivanitsky and P.M. Balaban Time and the Brain edited by R. Miller Sex Differences in Lateralization in the Animal Brain by V.L. Bianki and E.B. Filippova Cortical Areas: Unity and Diversity edited by A. Schüz and R. Miller Memory and Brain Dynamics: Oscillations Integrating Attention, Perception, Learning, and Memory by E. Basar A Theory of the Basal Ganglia and Their Disorders by R. Miller The Female Brain, Second Edition by C.L. Darlington The Female Brain Second Edition Cynthia Darlington Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2010 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Version Date: 20150520 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4200-7745-2 (eBook - PDF) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. While all reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, neither the author[s] nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibil- ity or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. 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Contents Preface .................................................................................................................xi The Author ......................................................................................................xiii Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................1 The male and his muse ......................................................................................1 The background .......................................................................................3 Hormones .................................................................................................3 The central nervous system ....................................................................8 Interactions between hormones and neurotransmitters ..................21 Neuroscience methods ..........................................................................21 The rules ............................................................................................................22 Bibliography and recommended readings ...................................................24 Chapter 2 A historical perspective ...........................................................27 The rise of modern science .............................................................................31 Conclusions .......................................................................................................36 Bibliography and recommended readings ...................................................36 Chapter 3 Brain structure: The architecture of difference ..................39 Development of the brain ...............................................................................40 Sexual dimorphism in the CNS ......................................................................42 Regional differences .........................................................................................46 Evidence from other species ...........................................................................51 Structural changes in the adult brain ............................................................54 Conclusions .......................................................................................................54 Bibliography and recommended readings ...................................................56 Chapter 4 Functional differences: Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators .......................................................................59 Estrogen, progesterone, androgens, and their receptors in the CNS ..........60 Methods for identifying receptors in the CNS .............................................61 Estrogen receptors ............................................................................................62 viii Contents Progesterone receptors ....................................................................................64 “The knockout model” ....................................................................................65 GABA .................................................................................................................66 Serotonin............................................................................................................68 Dopamine ..........................................................................................................70 Cannabinoids ....................................................................................................75 Measures of global function ...........................................................................76 Evidence from EEG studies ............................................................................81 Evidence from evoked potential studies ......................................................83 Evidence from scan studies ............................................................................84 Conclusions .......................................................................................................86 Bibliography and recommended readings ...................................................86 Chapter 5 Perception and cognition .........................................................91 IQ: When is a difference not a difference? ....................................................93 Visual perception..............................................................................................96 Color: Perception and preference ................................................................106 Auditory perception ......................................................................................107 The senses of smell and taste ........................................................................108 A word about touch .......................................................................................112 Numbers and sums ........................................................................................112 Memory ............................................................................................................113 Conclusions ......................................................................................................119 Bibliography and recommended readings .................................................120 Chapter 6 Laterality ...................................................................................125 Parallel processing and hemispheric advantage .......................................126 Understanding language ..............................................................................128 Emotion and laterality ...................................................................................135 Laterality, the menstrual cycle, and hemispheric advantage...................137 Two theoretical perspectives on laterality ..................................................139 Conclusions .....................................................................................................144 Bibliography and recommended readings .................................................146 Chapter 7 Neurology, psychiatry, and the female brain ....................149 Neurology .......................................................................................................149 Chronic headaches ...............................................................................150 Stroke... ..................................................................................................151 Chronic pain .........................................................................................151 Stress.... ..................................................................................................152 Sleep..... ..................................................................................................155 Multiple sclerosis .................................................................................156 Epilepsy .................................................................................................163 Contents ix Parkinson’s disease ..............................................................................166 Alzheimer’s disease and aging ..........................................................169 Psychiatry ........................................................................................................172 Depression ............................................................................................172 Anxiety ...................................................................................................176 Schizophrenia .......................................................................................178 Conclusions .....................................................................................................184 Bibliography and recommended readings .................................................185 Chapter 8 Drugs and drug effects ..........................................................193 Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics ...............................................195 Drug entry into the CNS ...............................................................................198 Drug administration in pregnancy and lactation ......................................199 Drug treatment of neurological disorders ..................................................200 Pain and analgesia ...............................................................................200 Migraine ................................................................................................201 Neurodegeneration .............................................................................201 Parkinson’s disease ..............................................................................205 Alzheimer’s disease ............................................................................206 Multiple sclerosis .................................................................................208 Epilepsy .................................................................................................208 Drug treatment of psychiatric disorders .....................................................210 Anxiety ..................................................................................................210 Depression .............................................................................................216 Psychosis ...............................................................................................219 The nontherapeutic use of drugs .................................................................221 Conclusions .....................................................................................................225 Bibliography and recommended readings .................................................226 Chapter 9 Into the twenty-first century .................................................233 The story to date .............................................................................................234 Pregnancy and the brain ...............................................................................237 Instructions for using the female brain .......................................................237 Pursuing the future ........................................................................................238 Changing the outcomes .................................................................................240 Bibliography and references .........................................................................242
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