Sex differences in brain regions activated by grammatical and reading tasks

Neuroreport ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2803-2807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeri J. Jaeger ◽  
Alan H. Lockwood ◽  
Robert D. Van Valin ◽  
David L. Kemmerer ◽  
Brian W. Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Brain Regions

scholarly journals Sex in the brain: hormones and sex differences

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-383 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Hormones ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
New Era ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Opioid Sensitivity ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Brain

Contrary to popular belief, sex hormones act throughout the entire brain of both males and females via both genomic and nongenomic receptors. Many neural and behavioral functions are affected by estrogens, including mood, cognitive function, blood pressure regulation, motor coordination, pain, and opioid sensitivity. Subtle sex differences exist for many of these functions that are developmentally programmed by hormones and by not yet precisely defined genetic factors, including the mitochondrial genome. These sex differences, and responses to sex hormones in brain regions and upon functions not previously regarded as subject to such differences, indicate that we are entering a new era in our ability to understand and appreciate the diversity of gender-related behaviors and brain functions.

scholarly journals The social brain in female autism: a structural imaging study of twins

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-436
Author(s):  
Élodie Cauvet ◽  
Annelies van’t Westeinde ◽  
Roberto Toro ◽  
Ralf Kuja-Halkola ◽  
Janina Neufeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
The Social

Abstract A female advantage in social cognition (SoC) might contribute to women’s underrepresentation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The latter could be underpinned by sex differences in social brain structure. This study investigated the relationship between structural social brain networks and SoC in females and males in relation to ASD and autistic traits in twins. We used a co-twin design in 77 twin pairs (39 female) aged 12.5 to 31.0 years. Twin pairs were discordant or concordant for ASD or autistic traits, discordant or concordant for other neurodevelopmental disorders or concordant for neurotypical development. They underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging and were assessed for SoC using the naturalistic Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition. Autistic traits predicted reduced SoC capacities predominantly in male twins, despite a comparable extent of autistic traits in each sex, although the association between SoC and autistic traits did not differ significantly between the sexes. Consistently, within-pair associations between SoC and social brain structure revealed that lower SoC ability was associated with increased cortical thickness of several brain regions, particularly in males. Our findings confirm the notion that sex differences in SoC in association with ASD are underpinned by sex differences in brain structure.

scholarly journals Thalamic Functional Connectivity during Spatial Long-Term Memory and the Role of Sex

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 898
Author(s):  
Dylan S. Spets ◽  
Scott D. Slotnick
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Thalamic Nuclei ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Correlated Activity ◽  
Abstract Shapes

The thalamus has been implicated in many cognitive processes, including long-term memory. More specifically, the anterior (AT) and mediodorsal (MD) thalamic nuclei have been associated with long-term memory. Despite extensive mapping of the anatomical connections between these nuclei and other brain regions, little is known regarding their functional connectivity during long-term memory. The current study sought to determine which brain regions are functionally connected to AT and MD during spatial long-term memory and whether sex differences exist in the patterns of connectivity. During encoding, abstract shapes were presented to the left and right of fixation. During retrieval, shapes were presented at fixation, and participants made an “old-left” or “old-right” judgment. Activations functionally connected to AT and MD existed in regions with known anatomical connections to each nucleus as well as in a broader network of long-term memory regions. Sex differences were identified in a subset of these regions. A targeted region-of-interest analysis identified anti-correlated activity between MD and the hippocampus that was specific to females, which is consistent with findings in rodents. The current results suggest that AT and MD play key roles during spatial long-term memory and suggest that these functions may be sex specific.

scholarly journals Cerebral White Matter Sex Dimorphism in Alcoholism: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayle S. Sawyer ◽  
Nasim Maleki ◽  
George Papadimitriou ◽  
Nikos Makris ◽  
Marlene Oscar-Berman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cerebral White Matter ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

AbstractBackgroundExcessive alcohol consumption is associated with widespread brain damage, including abnormalities in frontal and limbic brain regions. In a prior study of neuronal circuitry connecting the frontal lobes and limbic system structures in abstinent alcoholic men, we demonstrated decreases in white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) on diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). In the present study, we examined sex differences in alcoholism-related abnormalities of white matter connectivity.MethodsdMRI scans were acquired from 49 abstinent alcoholic individuals (26 women) and 41 nonalcoholic controls (22 women). Tract-based spatial statistical tools were used to estimate regional FA of white matter tracts and to determine sex differences and their relation to measures of alcoholism history.ResultsSex-related differences in white matter connectivity were observed in association with alcoholism: Compared to nonalcoholic men, alcoholic men had diminished FA in portions of the corpus callosum, the superior longitudinal fasciculi II and III, and the arcuate fasciculus and extreme capsule. In contrast, alcoholic women had higher FA in these regions. Sex differences also were observed for correlations between corpus callosum FA and length of sobriety.ConclusionsSexual dimorphism in white matter microstructure in abstinent alcoholics may implicate underlying differences in the neurobehavioral liabilities for developing alcohol abuse disorders, or for sequelae following abuse.

scholarly journals Behavior and Fos activation reveal that male and female rats differentially assess affective valence during CTA learning and expression

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260577
Author(s):  
Alyssa Bernanke ◽  
Elizabeth Burnette ◽  
Justine Murphy ◽  
Nathaniel Hernandez ◽  
Sara Zimmerman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
D2 Receptor ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
D1 Receptor ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Affective Valence ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females

Females are more affected by psychiatric illnesses including eating disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder than males. However, the neural mechanisms mediating these sex differences are poorly understood. Animal models can be useful in exploring such neural mechanisms. Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a behavioral task that assesses how animals process the competition between associated reinforcing and aversive stimuli in subsequent task performance, a process critical to healthy behavior in many domains. The purpose of the present study was to identify sex differences in this behavior and associated neural responses. We hypothesized that females would value the rewarding stimulus (Boost®) relative to the aversive stimulus (LiCl) more than males in performing CTA. We evaluated behavior (Boost® intake, LiCl-induced behaviors, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), CTA performance) and Fos activation in relevant brain regions after the acute stimuli [acute Boost® (AB), acute LiCl (AL)] and the context-only task control (COT), Boost® only task (BOT) and Boost®-LiCl task (BLT). Acutely, females drank more Boost® than males but showed similar aversive behaviors after LiCl. Females and males performed CTA similarly. Both sexes produced 55 kHz USVs anticipating BOT and inhibited these calls in the BLT. However, more females emitted both 22 kHz and 55 kHz USVs in the BLT than males: the latter correlated with less CTA. Estrous cycle stage also influenced 55 kHz USVs. Fos responses were similar in males and females after AB or AL. Females engaged the gustatory cortex and ventral tegmental area (VTA) more than males during the BOT and males engaged the amygdala more than females in both the BOT and BLT. Network analysis of correlated Fos responses across brain regions identified two unique networks characterizing the BOT and BLT, in both of which the VTA played a central role. In situ hybridization with RNAscope identified a population of D1-receptor expressing cells in the CeA that responded to Boost® and D2 receptor-expressing cells that responded to LiCl. The present study suggests that males and females differentially process the affective valence of a stimulus to produce the same goal-directed behavior.

scholarly journals Neural substrates of sexual arousal are not sex dependent

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (31) ◽  
pp. 15671-15676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Mitricheva ◽  
Rui Kimura ◽  
Nikos K. Logothetis ◽  
Hamid R. Noori
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

Sexual arousal is a dynamical, highly coordinated neurophysiological process that is often induced by visual stimuli. Numerous studies have proposed that the cognitive processing stage of responding to sexual stimuli is the first stage, in which sex differences occur, and the divergence between men and women has been attributed to differences in the concerted activity of neural networks. The present comprehensive metaanalysis challenges this hypothesis and provides robust quantitative evidence that the neuronal circuitries activated by visual sexual stimuli are independent of biological sex. Sixty-one functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (1,850 individuals) that presented erotic visual stimuli to men and women of different sexual orientation were identified. Coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation was used to conduct metaanalyses. Sensitivity and clustering analyses of averaged neuronal response patterns were performed to investigate robustness of the findings. In contrast to neutral stimuli, sexual pictures and videos induce significant activations in brain regions, including insula, middle occipital, anterior cingulate and fusiform gyrus, amygdala, striatum, pulvinar, and substantia nigra. Cluster analysis suggests stimulus type as the most, and biological sex as the least, predictor for classification. Contrast analysis further shows no significant sex-specific differences within groups. Systematic review of sex differences in gray matter volume of brain regions associated with sexual arousal (3,723 adults) did not show any causal relationship between structural features and functional response to visual sexual stimuli. The neural basis of sexual arousal in humans is associated with sexual orientation yet, contrary to the widely accepted view, is not different between women and men.

The Sexual Brain

2021 ◽  
pp. 81-108
Author(s):  
Susan D. Healy
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Female Mate Choice ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Hippocampal Structure

Morphological and behavioural differences between the sexes are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. There is also good evidence for differences in some brain regions between males and females, in humans, some rodents, and many songbirds. I look at the data for sex differences in cognition, of which there are some that show differences in spatial cognition and in hippocampal structure, at least some of which may be explained by variation in hormone levels. The thesis of The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller considerably increased interest in using sexual selection to explain variation in brain size. From female mate choice, male–male competition, sperm competition, mating strategy, to parental care, there are some data that appear to support selection acting on one species rather than the other in sexually a selected manner but I conclude that the data are not generally supportive of the Sexual Brain Hypothesis.

scholarly journals Sex differences in dendritic spine density and morphology in auditory and visual cortices in adolescence and adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily M. Parker ◽  
Nathan L. Kindja ◽  
Claire E. J. Cheetham ◽  
Robert A. Sweet
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Dendritic Spines ◽  
Dendritic Spine ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Spine Density ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Dendritic Spine Density ◽  
Layer 4 ◽  
Visual Cortices ◽  
Mushroom Spines

AbstractDendritic spines are small protrusions on dendrites that endow neurons with the ability to receive and transform synaptic input. Dendritic spine number and morphology are altered as a consequence of synaptic plasticity and circuit refinement during adolescence. Dendritic spine density (DSD) is significantly different based on sex in subcortical brain regions associated with the generation of sex-specific behaviors. It is largely unknown if sex differences in DSD exist in auditory and visual brain regions and if there are sex-specific changes in DSD in these regions that occur during adolescent development. We analyzed dendritic spines in 4-week-old (P28) and 12-week-old (P84) male and female mice and found that DSD is lower in female mice due in part to fewer short stubby, long stubby and short mushroom spines. We found striking layer-specific patterns including a significant age by layer interaction and significantly decreased DSD in layer 4 from P28 to P84. Together these data support the possibility of developmental sex differences in DSD in visual and auditory regions and provide evidence of layer-specific refinement of DSD over adolescent brain development.

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