大脑前额叶皮层自发活动与连接的性别差异

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive optical technique for brain functional imaging. The objective of this study is using fNIRS to investigate sex-related differences in the spatial distribution of spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the prefrontal cortex. 20 heathy young adults participated in the experiment. 42 optical channels covered the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the language area (inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and superior temporal gyrus (STG)). 8-min spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations were recorded from each subject. The spatial distribution of the fluctuation power was calculated for each sex. To quantitatively characterize the degree of RSFC, the temporal correlation coefficients of the fluctuations were computed for all optical channel pairs. Two distinct networks were identified. One involved the aPFC and DLPFC, and the other included the bilateral language areas. Sex-related differences in the spatial distribution of the fluctuation power and RSFC were revealed. Compared with females, males experienced higher power of the fluctuations, especially in the aPFC+DLPFC. Males showed larger intra-network connectivity in the aPFC+DLPFC, whereas females showed larger inter-network connectivity between the language area and aPFC+DLPFC. Our observations might provide functional imaging-based evidence for understanding sex-related differences in behaviors and cognitions.

A study with optical brain imaging on sex-related differences in the prefrontal spontaneous activity and connectivity