Sex differences in development of functional connections in the face processing network
Duncan Nowling1, Kathleen I Crum1,2, Jane Joseph1
1Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Summary
Sex differences emerge in how the brain processes faces during development. Males show increased segregation, while females exhibit both segregation and integration of face processing networks with age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Understanding sex differences in typical face processing network development is crucial for identifying disruptions in sex-linked developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder.
- Prior research in other cognitive domains suggests potential sex-based differences in neural network development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related sex differences in the integration and segregation of core and extended face processing regions.
- To determine if females exhibit increased integration and males increased segregation in face networks with age.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional design involving 133 typically developing children and adults.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using a face localizer task.
- Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis to examine age-related functional connectivity changes within the face processing network.
Main Results:
- Males showed decreased coupling with age between the right fusiform face area (FFA) and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) opercular region during face viewing.
- Females demonstrated increased integration with age, evidenced by enhanced coupling in specific FFA and occipital face area (OFA) to IFG connections.
- Females also exhibited age-related segregation in the OFA to IFG opercular region coupling during face viewing.
Conclusions:
- Neural development of face processing networks follows sexually dimorphic trajectories.
- These divergent developmental paths, characterized by segregation in males and both segregation and integration in females, primarily occur during childhood and adolescence.
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