Sex differences in neural mechanisms of social and non-social threat monitoring

Abstract

Adolescent males and females differ in their responses to social threat. Yet, threat processing is often probed in non-social contexts using the error-related negativity (ERN; Flanker EEG Task), which does not yield sex-specific outcomes. fMRI studies show inconsistent patterns of sex-specific neural engagement during threat processing. Thus, the relation between threat processing in non-social and social contexts across sexes and the effects perceived level of threat on brain function are unclear. We tested the interactive effect of non-social threat-vigilance (ERN), sex (N = 69; Male=34; 11-14-year-olds), and perceived social threat on brain function while anticipating feedback from 'unpredictable', 'nice', or 'mean' purported peers (fMRI; Virtual School Paradigm). Whole-brain analyses revealed differential engagement of precentral and inferior frontal gyri, putamen, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula. Among males with more threat-vigilant ERNs, greater social threat was associated with increased activation when anticipating unpredictable feedback. Region of interest analyses revealed this same relation in females in the amygdala and anterior hippocampus when anticipating mean feedback. Thus, non-social threat vigilance relates to neural engagement depending on perceived social threat, but peer-based social contexts and brain regions engaged, differ across sexes. This may partially explain divergent psychosocial outcomes in adolescence.

Keywords: Adolescence; EEG; Error-Related Negativity; FMRI; Sex Differences; Social Threat; Virtual School Paradigm.

Fig. 1

Validity and generalizability check examining the correlation between real-world and VS-elicited social threat in the full sample. Higher values of both threat measures indicate greater incidence and perceived threat.

Fig. 2

Image key for whole brain primary analyses: ERN by sex by VS-elicited exposure to social threat by reputation during the anticipation period. The images map onto the extracted clusters from Table 3. Left equals left.

Fig. 3

Differences in average activation to unpredictable-vs-mean or nice peers in the A) left precentral gyrus (whole-brain cluster), and the B) left putamen (peak cluster within whole-brain left medial temporal gyrus cluster) for males who have more (left panel) -vs- less (right panel) negative ERNs.

Fig. 4

Exploratory Analyses: Differences in average activation to unpredictable-vs-mean or nice peers in the A) left amygdala, and the B) left anterior hippocampus for males and females who have more (left panel) -vs- less (right panel) negative ERNs.