[Sex-related differences in EEG coherence in normal young adults--evaluation during rest and photic stimulation]

EEG coherence is a noninvasive technique for studying functional relationships between brain regions. Although EEG coherence would be a useful method to explore the differences in cerebral functional organization between the sexes, sex differences in coherence have not been well documented. The present study was conducted therefore to examine sex differences in interhemispheric EEG coherence during rest and photic stimulation (PS) in 15 male and 15 female healthy young adults. Interhemispheric coherence of the resting EEG revealed no significant sex differences for any frequency band. In contrast, coherence during PS revealed significant sex differences, and the females had a significantly higher coherence than the males in the frequency band (4.5-5.5Hz) corresponding to 5Hz PS. In addition, the changes in interhemispheric coherence from rest to the stimulus condition (i.e., coherence reactivity) showed sex differences at the brain region primarily involved in visual functioning; the females had significantly greater coherence reactivity for O1-O2 in EEG during PS at 5 and 15Hz. These findings indicate sex differences in interhemispheric EEG coherence during PS, and provide further evidence that sex-related differences exist in the degree of lateralization of hemispheric function.