Sex differences in the neural basis of emotional memories
Sex differences in the neural basis of emotional memories
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.162356599
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发表时间：
2002-08-06
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Gabrieli, JDE
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Canli, T;Desmond, JE;Gabrieli, JDE
心理学研究发现，女性对情感事件的记忆力比男性好，但这种差异的神经基础尚不清楚。我们使用事件相关的功能性磁共振成像，以评估是否性别差异的记忆情绪刺激与激活不同的神经系统在男性和女性。研究人员记录了12名男性和12名女性的大脑激活情况，同时记录了他们对中性和消极情绪图片的情绪唤起体验。在扫描3周后的识别记忆测试中，高度情绪化的图片被记住得最好，女性比男性记住得更好。男性和女性激活了不同的神经回路，将刺激有效地编码到记忆中，即使分析仅限于两组人都认为同样令人兴奋的图片。在包括右侧杏仁核的网络中，男性激活的结构明显多于女性，而在包括左侧杏仁核的网络中，女性激活的结构明显较少。女性的大脑区域明显更多，这些区域的激活与正在进行的情感体验评估以及随后对最激动人心的图片的记忆有关。大脑中对当前情绪敏感的区域和对随后的记忆有贡献的区域有更大的重叠，这可能是情绪增强记忆的神经机制，女性比男性更强大。
Psychological studies have found better memory in women than men for emotional events, but the neural basis for this difference is unknown. We used event-related functional MRI to assess whether sex differences in memory for emotional stimuli is associated with activation of different neural systems in men and women. Brain activation in 12 men and 12 women was recorded while they rated their experience of emotional arousal in response to neutral and emotionally negative pictures. In a recognition memory test 3 weeks after scanning, highly emotional pictures were remembered best, and remembered better by women than by men. Men and women activated different neural circuits to encode stimuli effectively into memory even when the analysis was restricted to pictures rated equally arousing by both groups. Men activated significantly more structures than women in a network that included the right amygdala, whereas women activated significantly fewer structures in a network that included the left amygdala. Women had significantly more brain regions where activation correlated with both ongoing evaluation of emotional experience and with subsequent memory for the most emotionally arousing pictures. Greater overlap in brain regions sensitive to current emotion and contributing to subsequent memory may be a neural mechanism for emotions to enhance memory more powerfully in women than in men.