title: Gender differences in partial-volume corrected brain perfusion using brain MRI in healthy children.
abstract: To investigate gender differences in brain perfusion, this study utilized pulsed arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a large number of healthy children. Data on structural and perfusion MRI in the brain were collected from 202 healthy children aged 5-18 years. Gender differences in brain perfusion using partial volume correction (PVC), which was calculated by dividing the normalized perfusion MRI by the normalized gray-matter segments, were analyzed by applying voxel-based analysis and region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Girls showed significantly higher brain perfusion with PVC in the bilateral medial aspect of the parietal lobes, including the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, as compared to boys using voxel-based analysis. In addition, brain perfusion with PVC in the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral precuneus, and left thalamus was significantly higher in girls than in boys in the ROI analysis. In contrast, no regions were seen in which boys exhibited higher brain perfusion with PVC than girls in both analyses. The findings showed significant differences between boys and girls in brain perfusion with PVC, and these differences may contribute to gender differences in the cognitive ability of healthy children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. ytaki@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013113:Spin Labels
chemical_list: D013113:Spin Labels