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Sex Differences in the Association between Cortical Thickness and Children's Behavioral Inhibition

Shervin Assari1,2

  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Journal of Psychology & Behavior Research
|November 26, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Cortical thickness is linked to behavioral inhibition in boys but not girls. Male children with thicker cortices exhibit better behavioral inhibition, unlike female children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Behavioral inhibition is crucial for adaptive functioning in children.
  • Cortical thickness, a measure of brain development, may influence behavioral control.
  • Understanding sex differences in neurobehavioral associations is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine sex-specific associations between cortical thickness and behavioral inhibition in 9-10-year-old children.
  • To investigate if sex moderates the relationship between brain structure and behavioral control.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 10,249 children (ages 9-10) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.
  • Cortical thickness measured via structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI).
  • Behavioral inhibition assessed using the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral approach system (BAS) measures, with sex as a moderator.

Main Results:

  • No overall association between cortical thickness and behavioral inhibition in the total sample.
  • A significant sex-by-cortical thickness interaction was observed.
  • Higher cortical thickness was positively associated with behavioral inhibition in males, but not in females.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical thickness is a significant determinant of behavioral inhibition in male children, but not female children.
  • Male children demonstrate enhanced behavioral inhibition with greater cortical thickness, a pattern not seen in females.
Abstract

Keywords:
behavioral inhibitionchildrencortical thicknessmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)sex

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