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Sex Differences in Working Memory after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Functional MR Imaging Study
Hui-Ling Hsu1, David Yen-Ting Chen1, Ying-Chi Tseng1
1From the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University Shuang-Ho Hospital, No. 291, Jhong-Jheng Road, 235 Jhonghe District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC.
Radiology
|April 29, 2015
Summary
Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) affects working memory differently in men and women. Women with MTBI showed poorer working memory activation on functional MRI, with no improvement over time.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Radiology
- Psychology
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) can impact cognitive functions, including working memory.
- Sex-based differences in brain injury outcomes are increasingly recognized.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers insights into brain activity patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-specific differences in working memory function after MTBI using fMRI.
- To compare brain activation patterns between male and female MTBI patients and controls.
Main Methods:
- Functional MRI assessed working memory activation in 30 MTBI patients (15 men, 15 women) and 30 controls.
- Two fMRI scans were performed on patients: within 1 month and 6 weeks post-injury.
- Cognitive tests (digit span, continuous performance) were administered before fMRI.
Main Results:
- Female MTBI patients had lower digit span scores than controls.
- Initial fMRI showed hyperactivation in male MTBI patients and hypoactivation in female MTBI patients compared to respective controls.
- Female MTBI patients exhibited persistent hypoactivation at follow-up, while male MTBI patients showed reduced hyperactivation.
Conclusions:
- Sex differences exist in working memory activation patterns following MTBI.
- Persistent hypoactivation in female MTBI patients suggests a potentially worse long-term working memory outcome.
- fMRI reveals distinct neural responses to working memory tasks in male versus female MTBI populations.
