- Email: [email protected]
Handedness and gender related differences in hemispheric language dominance in volunteers using whole brain FMRI
ABSTRACTS
Handedness and Gender Related Differences in Hemispheric Language Dominance in Volunteers Using Whole Brain FMRI van tier Kallen, B.F. W.*, Yetkin, F.Z.**, Haughton, V.M.** *St. Radboud Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands **Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee WI, USA Objective To determine the difference in hemispheric language dominance between male and female volunteers using FMILI and a word generation task (1).
Methods and Materials A pilot study included healthy volunteers with no previous neurological trauma or deficit. All subjects were examined using a 1.5T scanner with a local gradient head coil designed for whole brain imaging using single shot echoplanar imaging (EPI). The subjects were asked to perform a silent word generation task (1). Activation was assessed as the pixels that passed a cross-correlation threshold of 0.60 ( p < 0.0001). The number and location of the pixels that passed the threshold were tabulated. The hemispheric language dominance was calculated as the percentage of activated pixels in the left hemisphere minus the percentage of activated pixels in the right hemisphere (l-r/1 +r). The student t test was used to test significant difference in hemispheric language dominance between male or female subjects. Results There were 18 volunteers (10 F and 8 M; 4 Left Handed Females [LHF] 6 Right Handed Females [RHF] 8 Right Handed Males [RHM]). The silent word generation task showed activation in the inferior frontal gyms, (middle and superior) frontal gyms, pre- and postcentral gyms, SMA, anterior cingulate and temporal gyri. The male and female subject groups were not markedly different in age. In concordance with Shaywitz et al there was a difference of lateralization between right handed male and female volunteers. In the male subjects, a stronger left hemispheric language dominance was found (RHM index 0.73, RHF index 0.53; p < 0.12). When comparing the left handed females with the right handed females a bilateral language distribution was found in the left handed females (LHF index 0.14, RHF index 0.53; p < 0.06) Conclusion Our preliminary results showed a gender difference of lateralization secondary to verbal fluency tasks between male and female volunteers. In right handed individuals there was a stronger lateralization of language dominance to the left hemisphere in males. A bilateral language distribution was found in left handed females. References 1. Yetkin, FZ et al, AJNR 1995;16:1087-1092. 2. Shaywitz, BA et al, Nature 1995;373:607-609.
$462
Handedness and Gender Related Differences in Hemispheric Language Dominance in Volunteers Using Whole Brain FMRI van tier Kallen, B.F. W.*, Yetkin, F.Z.**, Haughton, V.M.** *St. Radboud Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands **Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee WI, USA Objective To determine the difference in hemispheric language dominance between male and female volunteers using FMILI and a word generation task (1).
Methods and Materials A pilot study included healthy volunteers with no previous neurological trauma or deficit. All subjects were examined using a 1.5T scanner with a local gradient head coil designed for whole brain imaging using single shot echoplanar imaging (EPI). The subjects were asked to perform a silent word generation task (1). Activation was assessed as the pixels that passed a cross-correlation threshold of 0.60 ( p < 0.0001). The number and location of the pixels that passed the threshold were tabulated. The hemispheric language dominance was calculated as the percentage of activated pixels in the left hemisphere minus the percentage of activated pixels in the right hemisphere (l-r/1 +r). The student t test was used to test significant difference in hemispheric language dominance between male or female subjects. Results There were 18 volunteers (10 F and 8 M; 4 Left Handed Females [LHF] 6 Right Handed Females [RHF] 8 Right Handed Males [RHM]). The silent word generation task showed activation in the inferior frontal gyms, (middle and superior) frontal gyms, pre- and postcentral gyms, SMA, anterior cingulate and temporal gyri. The male and female subject groups were not markedly different in age. In concordance with Shaywitz et al there was a difference of lateralization between right handed male and female volunteers. In the male subjects, a stronger left hemispheric language dominance was found (RHM index 0.73, RHF index 0.53; p < 0.12). When comparing the left handed females with the right handed females a bilateral language distribution was found in the left handed females (LHF index 0.14, RHF index 0.53; p < 0.06) Conclusion Our preliminary results showed a gender difference of lateralization secondary to verbal fluency tasks between male and female volunteers. In right handed individuals there was a stronger lateralization of language dominance to the left hemisphere in males. A bilateral language distribution was found in left handed females. References 1. Yetkin, FZ et al, AJNR 1995;16:1087-1092. 2. Shaywitz, BA et al, Nature 1995;373:607-609.
$462