Health

Medical researchers also continue to investigate the effect of stress on the human brain and its influence on the human immune system. For example, stressful events can activate the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system and divert blood from the internal organs and skin to the brain and muscles. The stress response also affects the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, which regulate hormones, particularly the stress hormone cortisol. A better understanding of the brain-body connection may help medical researchers devise treatments for stress-related disorders.
Recent research in brain function suggests that there may be sexual differences in both brain anatomy and brain function. One study indicated that men and women may use their brains differently while thinking. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to observe which parts of the brain were activated as groups of men and women tried to determine whether sets of nonsense words rhymed. Men used only Broca's area in this task, whereas women used Broca's area plus an area on the right side of the brain.