Sex differences in the neural substrates of spatial working memory during adolescence are not mediated by endogenous testosterone.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by notable changes in behavior, physical attributes, and an increase in endogenous sex steroid hormones, which may impact cognitive functioning. Moreover, sex differences in brain structure are present, leading to differences in neural function and cognition. Here, we examine sex differences in performance and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation in a sample of adolescents during a spatial working memory (SWM) task. We also examine whether endogenous testosterone levels mediate differential brain activity between the sexes. Adolescents between ages 10 and 16 years completed a SWM functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task, and serum hormone levels were assessed within seven days of scanning. While there were no sex differ

SUBMITTER: Alarcon G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4252582 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature