Gender-Dependent Frequency–Spatial Organization of the Brain Cortex Activity during Convergent and Divergent Thinking: I. Analysis of the EEG Power

Abstract

The gender dependence of inter- and intrahemispheric interactions of neuronal assemblies during convergent (CTh) and divergent (DTh) thinking was studied on the basis of analysis of coherence (Coh) of cortical potentials in a broad frequency band. CTh was studied with a model of mental arithmetic, and DTh, with a heuristic task. Right-handed subjects were examined. The distinctive feature of CTh was a functional change in the patterns of EEG Coh in the θ band. Men were characterized by an increase in interactions between the centro-parieto-occipital areas of both hemispheres and between the frontal and temporooccipital regions of the right hemisphere, whereas a similar pattern of coherent connections was shifted to the left temporal area in women, suggesting a predominant use of verbal calculation strategies by women and visuospatial strategies by men. Regardless of the gender, DTh was associated with an increase in interhemispheric Coh and an increase in Coh in the right hemisphere. However, the successful performance of a task in men and women was determined by different degrees of hemispheric interaction: men successfully solved the problem under conditions of a closer interaction of both hemispheres, whereas women efficient in their performance showed a weaker interaction of homologous cortical areas as compared to noncreative subjects.