THE COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY OF SEX-HORMONES IN MEN AND WOMEN

In this study, we examined sex differences in performance on a variety of cognitive tasks. Performance was correlated with estradiol and tes tosterone levels in both men and women in order to examine whether hor mone levels are related to performance on tasks that do and do not sho w sex differences. Men showed an advantage in performance on tests of spatial cognition (block design and card rotation) as well as a dart t hrowing task that requires both motor skills and spatial cognition. Se x differences were not found for measures of verbal and nonverbal memo ry, verbal fluency, or fine motor performance. Hormone levels were rel ated to performance on tasks that showed sex differences as well as th ose that did not. Estradiol, but not testosterone, was related to bloc k design in women but not men. Women with higher estradiol levels show ed better performance than women with lower estradiol levels. No relat ions between card rotation and hormone levels were found. Performance on the two spatial cognitive measures were related to each other in wo men, but not men, suggesting that men may use different processes than women to accomplish these tasks. Performance on the dart throwing tas k was not consistently related to the spatial cognitive measures in ei ther men or women. Positive relations that will require confirmation w ere found between estradiol and spatial recall, and between testostero ne and verbal recall, in men. In general, both men and women showed a negative relation between both estradiol and testosterone and dart thr owing performance. These results do not support the notion that sex di fferences will necessarily predict the direction of the relation (posi tive or negative) between estrogen or testosterone and behavior in adu lthood.