Sex differences in visuo-spatial processing: An fMRI study of mental rotation
Abstract
Following the theoretical framework of coordinate and categorical principals for visuo-spatial processing, originally formulated by [Kosslyn, S. M. (1987). Seeing and imagining in the cerebral hemispheres: AQ computational approach. Psychological Review, 94, 148-175], we present data from an fMRI study on mental rotation, using the classic [Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171, 701-703] task, comparing males and females. Subjects were presented with black-and-white drawings of 3-D shapes taken from the set of 3-D perspective drawings developed by [Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171, 701-703], alternated with 2-D white bars as control stimuli. The drawings were presented pairwise, as black and white drawings against a black circular background. On half of the trials, the two 3-D shapes were congruent but portrayed with different orientation, in the other half the two shapes were incongruent. Analysis of response accuracy and reaction times did not reveal any significant differences between the sexes. However, clusters of significant neuronal activation were found in the superior parietal lobule (BA 7), more intensely over the right hemisphere, and bilaterally in the inferior frontal gyrus (BA 44/45). Males showed predominantly parietal activation, while the females, in addition, showed inferior frontal activation. We suggest that males may be biased towards…
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Several studies using brain scans during testing found brain activation differences between women and men.
“Several used brain scans during testing and found brain activation differences between women and men (e.g., Gur et al., 2000;Hugdahl et al., 2006;Jaušovec & Jaušovec, 2012;Jordan et al., 2002).”
From Factors Related to Mean Score Group Differences on Cognitive Ability Tests: A Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as Hugdahl et al., 2006
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“Hugdahl et al. (2006) differentially classified women as adopting a serial, categorical processing approach during mental rotation while men adopt a coordinate processing approach.”
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“Furthermore, sex and/or sex steroids related differences are evident in the brain activity evaluated by functional magnetic resonance imaging (Hugdahl et al., 2006; Jordan et al., 2002; Schöning et al., 2007; Thomsen et al., 2000; Weiss et al., 2003) and electroencephalography (Desrocher et al.,…”
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“predominantly parietal activation, whereas females show more activation of prefrontal cortex in a mental rotation task with three-dimensional objects [31].”
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“It has been observed that, while solving mental rotation tasks, males showed predominantly parietal activation, whereas females also showed frontal brain activity (Butler et al., 2006; Hugdahl et al., 2006).”
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- Authors
- Hugdahl, K., Thomsen, T., & Ersland, L.
- Affiliations
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Hugdahl, Kenneth
- ORCID
- Hugdahl, Kenneth
- Venue
- Neuropsychologia
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2006-01
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1575-1583
- ISSN
- 0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1978753300
- Cited by
- 368
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 73 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 48.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- sex differences, mental rotation, visuospatial processing, superior parietal lobule, inferior frontal gyrus, hemispheric lateralization, brain activation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Imagination, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Sex Characteristics, Space Perception, Visual Perception
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