Gender differences in functional connectivities between insular subdivisions and selective pain-related brain...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Pain Research
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Pain disorders affect women more than men, highlighting the importance of studying gender differences in pain perception.
• The insular cortex, a key brain structure for pain processing, has multiple subdivisions with distinct roles.
• Understanding these gender-specific differences in brain activity is crucial for advancing pain research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender differences in functional connectivities (FCs) between insular cortex subdivisions and pain-related brain regions in healthy adults.
• To identify specific brain regions and pathways that exhibit differential functional connectivity between males and females concerning pain processing.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 26 healthy males and 11 age-matched healthy females.
• Functional connectivities (FCs) were measured between 12 insular subdivisions (regions of interest) and either the whole brain or 64 selected pain-related brain regions.
• Two analysis techniques (ROI-whole brain and ROI-ROI) were employed to compare FCs between genders.

Main Results:

• Significant gender differences in functional connectivity were observed.
• Males exhibited increased FCs between the dorsal dysgranular insula (dId) and other brain regions.
• Specific FC increases in males included connections between the left dId and areas like the right median cingulate, right posterior cingulate, right precuneus, left angular gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus.

Conclusions:

• The study revealed distinct gender differences in the functional connectivity of insular subdivisions with pain-related brain regions.
• These findings provide neuroimaging evidence supporting the existence of gender-specific mechanisms in pain processing.