Gender differences in brain activity generated by unpleasant word stimuli concerning body image: an fMRI study.
BACKGROUND
We have previously reported that the temporomesial area, including the amygdala, is activated in women when processing unpleasant words concerning body image.


OBJECTIVE
To detect gender differences in brain activation during processing of these words.


METHODS
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate 13 men and 13 women during an emotional decision task consisting of unpleasant words concerning body image and neutral words.


RESULTS
The left medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were activated only among men, and the left amygdala was activated only among women during the task; activation in the apical prefrontal region was significantly greater in men than in women.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that the prefrontal region is responsible for the gender differences in the processing of words concerning body image, and may also be responsible for gender differences in susceptibility to eating disorders.
Shirao
Naoko
N
Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
Okamoto
Yasumasa
Y
Mantani
Tomoyuki
T
Okamoto
Yuri
Y
Yamawaki
Shigeto
S
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology; D001828:Body Image; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making; D004644:Emotions; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology