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. 2023 Mar 14:17:1130025.
doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1130025. eCollection 2023.

Sex differences in functional brain networks involved in interoception: An fMRI study

Vincenzo Alfano  1 , Carlo Cavaliere  1 , Angelica Di Cecca  1 , Giuseppina Ciccarelli  1 , Marco Salvatore  1 , Marco Aiello  1 , Giovanni Federico  1
Affiliations

Sex differences in functional brain networks involved in interoception: An fMRI study

Vincenzo Alfano et al. Front Neurosci. .

Abstract

Interoception can be described as the ability to perceive inner body sensations and it is different between biological sex. However, no previous research correlated this ability with brain functional connectivity (FC) between males and females. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate FC of networks involved in interoception among males and females in a sample of healthy volunteers matched for age. In total, 67 participants (34 females, mean age 44.2; 33 males, mean age 37.2) underwent a functional MRI session and completed the Self-Awareness Questionnaire (SAQ) that tests the interoceptive awareness. To assess the effect of sex on scores obtained on the SAQ we performed a multivariate analysis of variance. A whole-brain seed-to-seed FC analysis was conducted to investigate the correlation between SAQ score and FC, and then to test differences in FC between males and females with SAQ score as a covariate. MANOVA revealed a significant difference in SAQ scores between males and females with higher values for the second ones. Also, significant correlations among interoception scores and FC in Salience network and fronto-temporo-parietal brain areas have been detected, with a sharp prevalence for the female. These results support the idea of a female advantage in the attention toward interoceptive sensations, suggesting common inter-network areas that concur to create the sense of self.

Keywords: SAQ; fMRI; functional connectivity; interoception; sex differences.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
fMRI seed-to-seed three dimensional representation showing FC differences between males and females’ subjects with SAQ and age as covariates.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
fMRI seed-to-seed three dimensional representation showing FC analysis with the SAQ considered as a continuous regressor and age as covariate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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