Nopoulos P, Flaum M, O'Leary D, Andreasen N C
University of Iowa College of Medicine, Psychiatry Research, 1-180 Medical Education Building, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000, USA.
Psychiatry Res. 2000 Feb 28;98(1):1-13. doi: 10.1016/s0925-4927(99)00044-x.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to evaluate sex differences in brain morphology by comparing measures of brain tissue volume, brain tissue composition (proportions of gray and white matter), and measures of cortical surface anatomy. A large and well-matched sample of healthy women (n=42) and healthy men (n=42) were evaluated. There was a significant gender effect on intracranial volume, males being larger. However, this increase in size was limited to the cerebrum as there was no sex difference in the volume of the cerebellum. The gender difference in size of the cerebral volume was evenly distributed, with all four lobes equally larger in males compared to females. Gray and white matter tissue proportions were similar between the sexes globally. Regional tissue composition analysis showed sex differences within the parietal lobes with females having proportionately more gray matter on the right side. There were no differences between the sexes in cortical surface anatomy measures. Overall, against the background of similarity in morphology, there are differences between the sexes with regard to general and regional brain measures. The functional significance of these sex differences is unclear, but may represent the differential effects of gonadal hormones during brain growth and development.
磁共振成像（MRI）通过比较脑组织体积、脑组织组成（灰质和白质比例）以及皮质表面解剖结构测量值，来评估大脑形态的性别差异。对大量匹配良好的健康女性（n = 42）和健康男性（n = 42）样本进行了评估。颅内体积存在显著的性别效应，男性更大。然而，这种大小的增加仅限于大脑，因为小脑体积没有性别差异。大脑体积大小的性别差异分布均匀，男性的所有四个脑叶均比女性的大。总体而言，两性之间灰质和白质组织比例相似。区域组织组成分析显示，顶叶内存在性别差异，女性右侧的灰质比例相对较高。两性在皮质表面解剖结构测量方面没有差异。总体而言，在形态相似的背景下，两性在大脑整体和区域测量方面存在差异。这些性别差异的功能意义尚不清楚，但可能代表了性腺激素在大脑生长发育过程中的不同作用。
