Dynamics of interhemispheric asymmetry during perception of verbal information in men and women: EEG analysis

Neurophysiological basis of gender differences in the dynamics of asymmetry in retrieval of dychotically presented verbal information was studied by mapping of EEG power and coherence during a prolonged dychotical test. Right-handed students (20 men and 11 women) participated in the experiments. It was shown that gender differences in the EEG were absent at the initial stage of testing and appeared at the final stage. At this stage, the asymmetry of the theta 2 EEG power was lower in men than in women, while the interhemispheric coherence in the theta 2- and alpha 1-bands was more pronounced in women than in men, mainly, in the caudal cortical regions. Thus, different cortical electrophysiological processes underlie similar behavioral effects (the same values of asymmetry coefficients of retrieval of syllables at the final stage of dichotic testing) in men and women.