New study finds baby girls' brain activity more complex than boys'
Newborn baby
New research by researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany has revealed that brain activity in baby girls is more complex thanthat inbaby boys.
How did the researchers derive this conclusion?
Theycame to this conclusionby measuring the magnetic fields produced by the brain's electrical currents in fetuses and babies to sound stimuli using an imaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Data from 20 newborns, ages 13 to 59 days, and 43 third-trimesterfetuses,was analysed by the scientists.The sound stimuli included various arrangements of beeps. The sound was played to the fetuses using a "sound balloon" tucked between the pregnant woman's belly and the MEG sensors.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The data analysis revealed that when the neurological system grows in fetuses and newborns, the complexity of signals in the brain appears to diminish, with boys developing this system substantially quicker than girls.
The researchers then measured their magnetic brain activity in response to sound stimulation. They used algorithms to generate a variety of metrics that represent the complexity of the MEG signal.
High brain complexity vs. low brain complexity
Researchers found that people with greaterdegrees ofbrain complexity have superior performance and faster reaction time inessential executive tasks such as planning and decision-making.
Low levels, on the other hand,are associated with statesin whichinformation processing abilityis impaired, such as general anesthesia and non-rapid eye movement sleep.
Surprising results, but why?
The researchers expected the complexity of brain signals to increase as fetuses grew and babies aged. However, they found it decreased faster in males than females. The reason is uncertain, but it may be because the brain simplifies its processes during development by removing unnecessary cells and connections.
"As the brain matures, it moves toward ordered patterns of neural connections, which tell it how to respond to stimuli, such as the beeps in our experiment. A more developed brain has fewer ways of responding to thatstimulus,andthus lower complexity.If we were to look at spontaneous activity, we might see something different," thelead author of the study, JoelFrohlichsaid.
The researchers thinkthat thedifferences between boys and girls might be because their nervous systems develop differently.However, they didn't continue studying the babies afterward, soit's not known if these differences persist.
