Gender based variation in cognitive functions in adolescent subjects.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• Cognition encompasses all mental processes involved in information handling.
• Understanding adolescent cognition is crucial for tracking lifespan changes and neurodegenerative conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cognitive function differences in healthy male and female adolescents.
• To address the lack of data on adolescent cognitive performance for comparative lifespan analysis.

Main Methods:

• Assessed cognitive function in 100 healthy adolescents (males and females) aged 17-20.
• Utilized the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA) evaluating 7 cognitive domains.
• MoCA is a 10-minute, 30-point test assessing visuospatial skills, language, memory, attention, mathematical ability, abstraction, and orientation.

Main Results:

• Female adolescents scored significantly higher overall (25.72 ± 1.8) than males (25.16 ± 1.8) (p<0.02).
• Male adolescents demonstrated superior performance in the mathematical ability subscale.
• Cognitive function variations were observed between sexes in this adolescent cohort.

Conclusions:

• Significant sex-based differences exist in adolescent cognitive function.
• Neuroanatomical and physiological factors likely contribute to these observed cognitive variations.
• Findings provide a baseline for understanding cognitive development trajectories and sex-specific changes.