A study has found that the female brain temperatures are likely to top 40C and are around 0.4C hotter than the male brain.
Researchers at the MRC's Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge suggest that the difference was most likely driven by the menstrual cycle - since most women were scanned in the post-ovulation phase and their brain temperature was warmer than those who were scanned in the pre-ovulation phase.
The study, which has been published in the journal Brain, recruited 40 volunteers aged 20-40 who were scanned in the morning, afternoon and late evening over one day at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Dr. John O'Neill, group leader at the University of Cambridge, said: "To me, the most surprising finding from our study is that the healthy human brain can reach temperatures that would be diagnosed as fever anywhere else in the body.
"Such high temperatures have been measured in people with brain injuries in the past, but had been assumed to result from the injury.
"There is a good reason to believe this daily variation is associated with long-term brain health - something we hope to investigate next."
Hot stuff....A new meaning to Hot Head....  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
» Add a new message to this topic
