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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice

Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice

Published on: July 31, 2019

Sex differences in parietal lobe structure and development.

Joel Salinas¹, Elizabeth D Mills, Amy L Conrad

¹University of Iowa Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.

Gender Medicine

|February 16, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Structural differences in the parietal lobe exist between sexes. Female brains show a greater cortex-to-white matter ratio in youth, and surface area decreases with age, unlike in males.

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Published on: July 31, 2019

Sex Differences in Mouse Hippocampal Astrocytes after In-Vitro Ischemia

Sex Differences in Mouse Hippocampal Astrocytes after In-Vitro Ischemia

Published on: October 25, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience
Human Anatomy

Background:

Sex differences in brain structure are documented by structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI).
Previous research indicates variations in surface area and gray-to-white matter proportions, particularly in the parietal lobe.
Limited studies have explored sex-based developmental trajectories of parietal lobe structure in younger populations.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate sex differences in parietal lobe structure in children (7–17 years).
To examine sex differences in parietal lobe structure across a broader age range (7–50 years) by including adult data.
To identify developmental differences in parietal lobe structure between males and females.

Main Methods:

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) was employed.
Data from children (7–17 years) and adults (18–50 years) were analyzed.
Parietal lobe surface area and cortex-to-white matter ratio were quantified.

Main Results:

In the younger cohort, female brains exhibited a higher parietal lobe cortex-to-white matter ratio compared to males, with no significant sex difference in surface area.
Across the entire age span (7–50 years), a significant sex-age interaction was observed for surface area.
Male brains showed minimal change in surface area over time, while female brains demonstrated a significant decrease in surface area with age.

Conclusions:

Structural sex differences in the human parietal lobe are evident not only cross-sectionally but also in developmental patterns.
Parietal lobe development exhibits distinct trajectories between males and females.
These findings contribute to understanding sex-based neurodevelopmental variations.