Gender based comparative analysis of brain region activity during a working task :An EEG Study

This study explores gender differences in neural activation during working memory (WM) tasks using EEG, guided by Baddeley’s multicomponent WM model and the neural efficiency hypothesis. Ten right-handed university students (5 males, 5 females) were cognitively screened with the SPANS-X assessment before performing a 2-back task while EEG data were collected via the Neuphony One portable headset, focusing on prefrontal and parietal regions. Data preprocessing included filtering, artifact rejection, epoching, and event marker segmentation in MATLAB. The analysis centered on theta (4–7 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) band spectral power, along with ERP components (P200, N200, P300). Females showed significantly higher theta power at F3 and Fz, and stronger P300 responses, indicating greater prefrontal engagement and consistent cognitive processing. No major gender differences were found in alpha desynchronization over parietal regions, suggesting similar visuospatial engagement. These results imply that females may use more verbal and executive strategies during WM tasks and demonstrate the value of portable EEG in scalable, non-clinical cognitive research, while also underlining the importance of gender-informed approaches in cognitive neuroscience.