Gender Differences of Brain Glucose Metabolic Networks Revealed by FDG-PET: Evidence from a Large Cohort of 400 Young Adults

摘要: Background: Gender differences of the human brain are an important issue in neuroscience research. In recent years, increasing amount evidence has been gathered from noninvasive neuroimaging studies supporting a sexual dimorphism brain. However, there is lack imaging on gender metabolic networks based large population sample. Materials and Methods: FDG PET data 400 right-handed, healthy subjects, including 200 females (age: 25 similar to 45 mean age +/- SD: 40.9 3.9 years) age-matched males were obtained analyzed present study. We first investigated regional glucose metabolism between genders using voxel-based two-sample t-test analysis. Subsequently, we networks. Sixteen covariance seed-based correlation analyzed. Seven regions showing significant genders, nine conventionally used resting-state network selected as regions-of-interest. Permutation tests for comparing within-and between-network connectivity genders. Results: Compared with males, showed higher posterior part lower anterior Moreover, widely distributed patterns addition, within revealed Conclusion: This study provides solid that reveal These observations might contribute better understanding functions, suggest should be included covariate when designing experiments explaining results control experimental individuals or patients.