New research: Men's brains shrink after 8 PM

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, scanned the brain of a 26-year-old man 40 times over 30 days. The research team discovered that men's brains shrink at 8 PM and return to their normal state throughout the night.

They explained that this cycle of growth and shrinkage overlaps with the rising and falling levels of steroid hormones such as testosterone, cortisol, and estradiol.

Study co-author Laura Pritschet stated, "In men, there is a 70 percent drop in steroid hormones between morning and evening."

THICKNESS OF THE OUTERMOST LAYER DECREASES

In the research published in The Journal of Neuroscience, it was observed that the overall volume of the brain decreases throughout the day, and the thickness of the cortex, the outermost layer of the brain, also decreases.

Researchers found that the volume of gray matter, which plays an important role in mental functions, memory, emotions, and movement, decreases by an average of 0.6 percent every night. Deeper structures of the brain, such as the cerebellum, brainstem, and parts of the hippocampus, also underwent changes throughout the day. These parts of the brain have functions such as coordinating movements, transmitting information between the brain and the body, and storing memories.

On the other hand, it was also stated that the study was conducted on only one person and therefore could not be applied to a wider population.

News Source: 12punto