Effects of age and gender on neural networks of motor response inhibition: From adolescence to mid-adulthood

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of age and gender on neural networks of motor response inhibition

T2 - From adolescence to mid-adulthood

AU - Rubia, Katya

AU - Lim, Lena

AU - Ecker, Christine

AU - Halari, Rozmin

AU - Giampietro, Vincent

AU - Simmons, Andrew

AU - Brammer, Michael

AU - Smith, Anna

PY - 2013/12

Y1 - 2013/12

N2 - Functional inhibitory neural networks mature progressively with age. However, nothing is known about the impact of gender on their development. This study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the effects of age, sex, and sex by age interactions on the brain activation of 63 healthy males and females, between 13 to 38 years, performing a Stop task. Increasing age was associated with progressively increased activation in typical response inhibition areas of right inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal and temporo-parietal regions. Females showed significantly enhanced activation in left inferior and superior frontal and striatal regions relative to males, while males showed increased activation relative to females in right inferior and superior parietal areas. Importantly, left frontal and striatal areas that showed increased activation in females, also showed significantly increased functional maturation in females relative to males, while the right inferior parietal activation that was increased in males showed significantly increased functional maturation relative to females. The findings demonstrate for the first time that sex-dimorphic activation patterns of enhanced left fronto-striatal activation in females and enhanced right parietal activation in males during motor inhibition appear to be the result of underlying gender differences in the functional maturation of these brain regions.

AB - Functional inhibitory neural networks mature progressively with age. However, nothing is known about the impact of gender on their development. This study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the effects of age, sex, and sex by age interactions on the brain activation of 63 healthy males and females, between 13 to 38 years, performing a Stop task. Increasing age was associated with progressively increased activation in typical response inhibition areas of right inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal and temporo-parietal regions. Females showed significantly enhanced activation in left inferior and superior frontal and striatal regions relative to males, while males showed increased activation relative to females in right inferior and superior parietal areas. Importantly, left frontal and striatal areas that showed increased activation in females, also showed significantly increased functional maturation in females relative to males, while the right inferior parietal activation that was increased in males showed significantly increased functional maturation relative to females. The findings demonstrate for the first time that sex-dimorphic activation patterns of enhanced left fronto-striatal activation in females and enhanced right parietal activation in males during motor inhibition appear to be the result of underlying gender differences in the functional maturation of these brain regions.

KW - Acknowledged-BRC

KW - Acknowledged-BRC-13/14

U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.078

DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.078

M3 - Article

C2 - 23845427

SN - 1095-9572

VL - 83

SP - 690

EP - 703

JO - NeuroImage

JF - NeuroImage

IS - N/A

M1 - N/A

ER -