Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
J Neuroimaging. 2024 Mar-Apr;34(2):280-290. doi: 10.1111/jon.13185. Epub 2024 Jan 2.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Understanding sex differences in typical development of the face processing network is important for elucidating disruptions during atypical development in sex-linked developmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder. Based on prior sex difference studies in other cognitive domains, this study examined whether females show increased integration of core and extended face regions with age for face viewing, while males would show increased segregation. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design with typically developing children and adults (n = 133) and a functional MRI face localizer task. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis examined functional connectivity between canonical and extended face processing network regions with age, with greater segregation indexed by decreased core-extended region connectivity with age and greater integration indexed by increased core-extended region connectivity with age. RESULTS: PPI analysis confirmed increased segregation for males-right fusiform face area (FFA) coupling to right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) opercular when viewing faces and left amygdala when viewing objects decreased with age. Females showed increased integration with age (increased coupling of the right FFA to right IFG opercular region and right occipital face area [OFA] to right IFG orbital when viewing faces and objects, respectively) and increased segregation (decreased coupling with age of the right OFA with IFG opercular region when viewing faces). CONCLUSIONS: Development of core and extended face processing network connectivity follows sexually dimorphic paths. These differential changes mostly occur across childhood and adolescence, with males experiencing segregation and females both segregation and integration changes in connectivity.
背景与目的:理解面部处理网络在典型发育中的性别差异对于阐明与自闭症谱系障碍等性连锁发育障碍相关的发育中断非常重要。基于先前在其他认知领域的性别差异研究,本研究考察了女性在观看面部时是否表现出核心和扩展面部区域随年龄增长而增加的整合,而男性则表现出增加的分离。
方法:本研究采用了横断面设计,包括典型发育的儿童和成人(n=133)和功能磁共振面部定位任务。心理生理交互(PPI)分析考察了与年龄相关的典型和扩展面部处理网络区域之间的功能连接,其中以核心-扩展区域连接随年龄增加而减少表示分离增加,以核心-扩展区域连接随年龄增加而增加表示整合增加。
结果:PPI 分析证实,男性右侧梭状回面孔区(FFA)与右侧额下回(IFG)眶部的耦合在观看面孔时以及左侧杏仁核在观看物体时随年龄下降而增加分离。女性随年龄增加而表现出整合增加(观看面孔和物体时,右侧 FFA 与右侧 IFG 眶部和右侧枕部面孔区(OFA)与右侧 IFG 眶部的耦合增加)和分离增加(观看面孔时右侧 OFA 与 IFG 眶部的耦合随年龄下降)。
结论:核心和扩展面部处理网络连接的发育遵循性别二态的途径。这些差异变化主要发生在儿童期和青春期,男性经历分离,女性经历连接的分离和整合变化。
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