erich@eecs.cs.pdx.edu (Erich Stefan Boleyn) (04/09/91)
A clarification of some of the neuroanatomy of male-female differences just came to me over e-mail, and I thought that I should post it. ---------------------------( cut here )-------------------------------- From: microsoft!edwardj@uunet.uu.net Message-Id: <9104082305.AA22889@relay1.UU.NET> To: uunet!cs.pdx.edu!erich@uunet.UU.NET Date: Mon Apr 8 15:41:23 1991 (most of header deleted) In article <1991Mar30.024708.29522@milton.u.washington.edu> you write: > > Whoa! As a student of Neuroscience, I think that I should set the >record straight as to what the current state of knowledge is about this. You are a victim of syllabus! Most neuroscience books will not go into detail about the sex-linked physical differences in the human brain, but there are significant differences linked to the androgen cycle in the third trimester of prenatal development -- these include development of the ocular and gustatory systems, and corpus callosum (among others). In some cases the typical sex-linked difference in mass of brain tissues in these regions may be great as 3-fold or more. Very few studies have attempted to correlate these findings with humans that have atypical sex-chromosomes (XXY, etc.) for the obvious reasons. Also consider that there is no evidence that environment will increase brain *cellular* mass (contrast to glial), with the exception of environmental factors that can *decrease* cellular mass (for example it is not understood how selection is achieved when massive neuronal death occurs in early postnatal development). Feel free to post this email if you think it will elucidate your statements in the sci.virtual-worlds news conference. It is most likely that adapative systems that are not predicated on any assumptions of human neurophysiology, but rather have social bias, are going to be the norm for VR systems. This is partly unavoidable, and indeed probably the right way to go for higher semantic information conveyance. On the other hand, studies by groups such as EEG Systems Laboratory focus on more "universal" patterns of activity in the brain... -- Edward Jung Microsoft Corp. My opinions do not reflect any policy of my employer. -----------------------------( cut here )-------------------------- He has a point... anyway, 'nuff said. (time for me to hit those books again ;-) Erich "I haven't lost my mind; I know exactly where it is." / -- Erich Stefan Boleyn -- \ --=> *Mad Genius wanna-be* <=-- { Honorary Grad. Student (Math) }--> Internet E-mail: <erich@cs.pdx.edu> \ Portland State University / >%WARNING: INTERESTED AND EXCITABLE%<