A new study has found that the brains of boys and girls react differently to traumatic events.

The latest research revealed that boys with symptoms of trauma have an area of the brain called the anterior circular sulcus that is larger compared with a control group of boys that did not exhibit signs of trauma. On the other hand, the same area of the brain is smaller among girls who also manifest signs of trauma.

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Megan Klabunde, the lead author of the study, said they were "surprised to see that the boys and girls were so clearly on different ends of the spectrum."

When the size of the brain region of the boys in the control group was compared with that of the girls in the control group, it was found to be approximately the same size.

The researchers believe that a possible explanation for these results is that exposure to traumatic stress may impact brain development rates differently in boys and girls.

In previous studies, it has been established that about 8 percent of girls and about 2 percent of boys develop post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives.

However, Klabunde and her team noted that their study had a small number of participants. In addition, the research did not consider specific factors such as time since the trauma, the age of the participant when the trauma first occurred, and the severity of the trauma.

Studies to be conducted in the future may consider how trauma affects other brain structures connected to empathy and whether these effects also exhibit gender disparities. Further research is also expected to show if these physical differences in the brain could also lead to behavioral differences between girls and boys.

Such findings could be a useful tool for psychiatrists to develop gender-specific treatment for boys and girls suffering from trauma.

TagsBrain Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder