If you’ve ever had an argument with the opposite sex, you may have realized that men and women just aren’t on the same page.

Now, a study not only shows that this is indeed the case, but that males and females are actually different from birth.

In what is described as one of the largest studies of newborn brain anatomy, scientists performed head scans on more than 500 babies, the DailyMail reports.

Overall, female babies had more gray matter in their brains, while male babies had more white matter.

Gray matter is located primarily in the outermost layer of the brain, or the cortex, and plays a large role in mental functions such as memory, emotions, and information processing.

Meanwhile, white matter, the paler tissue toward the center, speeds signals between cells and plays a critical role in helping the body process information.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, suggest that these gender differences “extend” into adulthood.

However, whether there are significant differences between male and female brains is a hotly debated topic.

“Many of the gender differences we found at birth do indeed appear to extend into adulthood,” lead author Yumnah Khan told MailOnline.

Some evidence suggests that women have more gray matter in their brains than men, but whether this difference is present from birth has not been investigated.

To learn more, the team studied data from the Developing Human Connectome Project, a collaboration between King’s College London, Imperial College London and the University of Oxford.

They examined gender differences in brain volume in 514 newborns aged 0 to 28 days (236 females and 278 males).

The infants had brain scans with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – which uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.

On average, male brains tended to be larger in volume than female brains, even after gender differences in birth weight were taken into account.

“We took into account additional factors, such as birth weight, to ensure that these differences are brain-specific and not due to general size differences between the sexes,” said co-author Dr Alex Tsompanidis at the University of Cambridge.

Looking specifically at gray matter, females showed, on average, greater volume in gray matter regions associated with memory and emotional regulation.

Meanwhile, males on average had larger volumes in gray matter regions involved in sensory processing and motor control.

Sensory processing describes how the body receives and interprets incoming stimuli through our senses, while motor control is simply our ability to regulate or direct our movements.

Thus, females may be better at recalling and processing memories, while having more emotional awareness.

Meanwhile, males may have a better sense of direction and more awareness of our physical environment.

These differences are thought to develop in utero, but may become more pronounced after birth.

“Because these gender differences are apparent so soon after birth, they may in part reflect biological gender differences during prenatal brain development,” Khan said.

“[Αυτά μπορεί] then interact with environmental experiences over time to further shape gender differences in the brain.”

The study – published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences – is described as the largest to date to investigate differences in the newborn brain.

Its authors include Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Center and cousin of comedian and actor Sacha.

More than two decades ago, he proposed the extreme male brain theory of autism two decades ago, suggesting that men were better at “systematizing” by finding patterns and rules, while women were better at empathizing.

“These differences do not imply that men’s and women’s brains are better or worse,” said study author Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the University of Cambridge’s Center for Autism Research.

“This research may be useful for understanding other kinds of neurodiversity, such as the brain in children who are later diagnosed as autistic, as this is more commonly diagnosed in males.”

The question of whether male and female brains differ significantly in adulthood has long divided researchers.

In 2021, experts at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science reported that the anatomy of the brain between the sexes is almost no different.

“The brains of men and women differ slightly, but the key finding is that these differences are due to brain size, not gender,” said lead author Dr Lise Eliot.

“Sex differences in the brain are tiny and counterintuitive when considering the size of the individuals’ heads.”

However, a 2013 study at the University of Pennsylvania found “striking” differences in the neural connectivity of men and women.

Meanwhile, a 2017 study found that women have “more active brains than men,” especially in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in focus and impulse control.