A controversial study reveals that brain differences between the sexes begin in the womb

In a first scientific, the researchers claim to have discovered that the differences between the brains of men and women begin in the womb.

The conclusion is likely to be controversial, with some experts arguing that social influences are more important.

Scientists who analyzed the brain of 118 fetuses during the second half of pregnancy to analyze the links between sex and connectivity of a developing brain believe that these differences are biological.

Professor Moriah Thomason, of the University of New York at Langone, said that one of the main differences was the connectivity between distant areas of the brain.

According to the US study published in the journal Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, the brains of women who grow up in the womb produce "long-range" networks.

Professor Thomason said this was less true for boys, who were "more sensitive to environmental influences".

Professor Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain, said that "in pursuit of a program of hunting for the difference", the authors "drew unfounded conclusions".