title: Gender differences in pre-attentive change detection for visual but not auditory stimuli.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite ongoing debate about gender differences in pre-attention processes, little is known about gender effects on change detection for auditory and visual stimuli. We explored gender differences in change detection while processing duration information in auditory and visual modalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated pre-attentive processing of duration information using a deviant-standard reverse oddball paradigm (50 ms/150 ms) for auditory and visual mismatch negativity (aMMN and vMMN) in males and females (n=21/group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the auditory modality, decrement and increment aMMN were observed at 150-250 ms after the stimulus onset, and there was no significant gender effect on MMN amplitudes in temporal or fronto-central areas. In contrast, in the visual modality, only increment vMMN was observed at 180-260 ms after the onset of stimulus, and it was higher in males than in females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No gender effect was found in change detection for auditory stimuli, but change detection was facilitated for visual stimuli in males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender effects should be considered in clinical studies of pre-attention for visual stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Xiuxian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Yunmiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Bingjing, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Heilongjiang, China.
authors.forename: Hailian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Zhengxue
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: The First Special Hospital of Harbin, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Congpei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiongzhao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Medical Psychological Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jincai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Center for Visual Art & Brain Cognition, Beijing Shengkun YanLun Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhaolunlun@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Lun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China. Electronic address: yanjie1965@163.com.
authors.forename: Yanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Auditory MMN; Gender; Pre-attentive processing; Visual MMN