title: The effect of gender on planning: An fMRI study using the Tower of London task.
abstract: Since the introduction of brain mapping, evidences of functional gender differences have been corroborating previous behavioral and neuropsychological results showing a sex-specific brain organization. We investigated gender differences in brain activation during the performance of the Tower of London (TOL) task which is a standardized test to assess executive functions. Eighteen healthy subjects (9 females and 9 males) underwent fMRI scanning while solving a series of TOL problems with different levels of difficulty. Data were analyzed by modeling both genders and difficulty task load. Task-elicited brain activations comprised a bilateral fronto-parietal network, common to both genders; within this network, females activated more than males in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and right parietal cortex, whereas males showed higher activity in precuneus. A prominent parietal activity was found at low level of difficulty while, with heavier task demand, several frontal regions and subcortical structures were recruited. Our results suggest peculiar gender strategies, with males relying more on visuospatial abilities and females on executive processing.
authors.affiliation: Section of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiodiagnostics, S. Croce Hospital, Via M. Coppino 26, 12100 Cuneo, Italy. boghi.a@ospedale.cuneo.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boghi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rasetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Avidano
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manzone
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Agata
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caroppo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergui
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pulvirenti
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Bradac
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bogetto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mutani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mortara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology