Sex differences in resting state functional connectivity across the first two years of life

Sonja J. Fenske; Janelle Liu; Haitao Chen; Marcio A. Diniz; Rebecca L. Stephens; Emil Cornea; John H. Gilmore; Wei Gao

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Apr 2023)

Sex differences in resting state functional connectivity across the first two years of life

Sonja J. Fenske,
Janelle Liu,
Haitao Chen,
Marcio A. Diniz,
Rebecca L. Stephens,
Emil Cornea,
John H. Gilmore,
Wei Gao

Affiliations

Sonja J. Fenske: Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
Janelle Liu: Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
Haitao Chen: Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
Marcio A. Diniz: The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
Rebecca L. Stephens: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, USA
Emil Cornea: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, USA
John H. Gilmore: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, USA
Wei Gao: Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA; Correspondence to: Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., PACT 800.7G, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 60
p. 101235

Abstract

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Sex differences in behavior have been reported from infancy through adulthood, but little is known about sex effects on functional circuitry in early infancy. Moreover, the relationship between early sex effects on the functional architecture of the brain and later behavioral performance remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used resting-state fMRI and a novel heatmap analysis to examine sex differences in functional connectivity with cross-sectional and longitudinal mixed models in a large cohort of infants (n = 319 neonates, 1-, and 2-year-olds). An adult dataset (n = 92) was also included for comparison. We investigated the relationship between sex differences in functional circuitry and later measures of language (collected in 1- and 2-year-olds) as well as indices of anxiety, executive function, and intelligence (collected in 4-year-olds). Brain areas showing the most significant sex differences were age-specific across infancy, with two temporal regions demonstrating consistent differences. Measures of functional connectivity showing sex differences in infancy were significantly associated with subsequent behavioral scores of language, executive function, and intelligence. Our findings provide insights into the effects of sex on dynamic neurodevelopmental trajectories during infancy and lay an important foundation for understanding the mechanisms underlying sex differences in health and disease.

Published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

ISSN: 1878-9293 (Print); 1878-9307 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Physiology: Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/developmental-cognitive-neuroscience/

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