Sex differences in language asymmetry are age-dependent and small: A large-scale, consonant-vowel dichotic listening study with behavioral and fMRI data
Sex differences in language asymmetry are age-dependent and small: A large-scale, consonant-vowel dichotic listening study with behavioral and fMRI data
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cortex.2012.08.002
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发表时间：
2013-07-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Hugdahl, Kenneth
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hirnstein, Marco;Westerhausen, Rene;Hugdahl, Kenneth
人们通常认为男性的大脑组织在功能上比女性更不对称，但迄今为止，单侧化性别差异的经验证据尚不清楚。多年来，我们使用相同的辅音元音二分听力任务从大量参与者那里收集了数据，这是语言偏侧化的可靠标记。一个数据集包含 1782 名参与者（885 名女性，125 名非右撇子）的行为数据，这些参与者被分为四个年龄组（50 岁儿童）。此外，我们还获得了另外 104 名年轻人（49 名女性，年龄 18-45 岁）的行为和功能成像 (fMRI) 数据，他们在 3T 扫描仪中完成了相同的双耳听力任务。该数据库使我们能够全面测试功能语言偏侧化是否存在性别差异。在所有参与者和两个数据集中都出现了右耳优势（REA），反映了左半球语言偏侧化。因此，功能磁共振成像数据显示上颞叶语言处理区域存在向左不对称。在 N = 1782 的数据集中，没有性别的主要影响，但出现了显着的性别与年龄交互作用：两性的 REA 都随着年龄的增长而增加，但由于女性发病较早，女性青少年的 REA 比男性青少年更强。反过来，男性年轻人比女性年轻人表现出更大的不对称性（占
Men are often believed to have a functionally more asymmetrical brain organization than women, but the empirical evidence for sex differences in lateralization is unclear to date. Over the years we have collected data from a vast number of participants using the same consonant vowel dichotic listening task, a reliable marker for language lateralization. One dataset comprised behavioral data from 1782 participants (885 females, 125 non-right-handers), who were divided in four age groups (children 50 yrs). In addition, we had behavioral and functional imaging (fMRI) data from another 104 younger adults (49 females, aged 18-45 yrs), who completed the same dichotic listening task in a 3T scanner. This database allowed us to comprehensively test whether there is a sex difference in functional language lateralization. Across all participants and in both datasets a right ear advantage (REA) emerged, reflecting left-hemispheric language lateralization. Accordingly, the fMRI data revealed a leftward asymmetry in superior temporal lobe language processing areas. In the N = 1782 dataset no main effect of sex but a significant sex by age interaction emerged: the REA increased with age in both sexes but as a result of an earlier onset in females the REA was stronger in female than male adolescents. In turn, male younger adults showed greater asymmetry than female younger adults (accounting for