title: Comparison of cognitive functions between male and female medical students: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are gender differences in cognitive abilities. The major enigma is whether males or females perform better in various cognitive tasks. The reports were found to be contradictory. Studies have shown that oestrogen and testosterone accentuate cognitive functions. But the effects of progesterone on cognitive functions are still contradictory.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess and compare the cognitive functions between male and female students.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on healthy male (n=21) and female (n=21) volunteers who were aged between 19-37 years. Cognitive functions which were assessed in males (one time) and females (two times: during preovulatory and postovulatory phases of the menstrual cycle) were attentional: visual reaction time (VRT) and Go/No-Go VRT; perceptual: fast counting (FC), executive: Erisken Flanker Test (EFT) and Stroop Test (ST), and working memory. Data were compared by using Mann-Whitney U-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cognitive functions in female preovulatory phase were comparable to male cognitive functions. In addition, the female postovulatory phase cognitive functions were also similar to those of males in all the tasks, except those seen in VRT and ST. Male performed better than females in VRT (M: 331.66 ms, IQR: 286.99-375.33 vs. M: 367.8 ms, IQR: 340.66-435.66; p=0.05). However, in ST, females showed higher accuracies in reading colour interferences than males (M: 100%, IQR: 95.12-100 vs. M: 95.24%, IQR: 86.36-100; p=0.04). In addition, males showed trend of a poorer performance than females in Go/No-Go VRT, ST colour reading normal time and interference time and in working-memory time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male cognitive functions were comparable to female preovulatory phase cognitive functions. However, females, during postovulatory phase of their cycle, may have advantages in executive tasks (Stroop test) and disadvantages in attentional tasks (VRT), as compared to males.
authors.affiliation: PhD Student, Department of Physiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences , Buddha Chowk, Dharan-18, Nepal .
authors.forename: Namrata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Upadhayay
authors.affiliation: PhD Student, Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences , Nepal .
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guragain
keywords: Attention; Menstrual cycle; Stroop test