Gender differences in human cortical synaptic density

被引：150

作者：

Alonso-Nanclares, L. ^{[1
]}

Gonzalez-Soriano, J. ^{[2
]}

Rodriguez, J. R. ^{[1
]}

DeFelipe, J. ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] CSIC, Inst Cajal, E-28002 Madrid, Spain

[2] Univ Complutense Madrid, Dept Anat & Compared Pathol Anat, Fac Vet, E-28040 Madrid, Spain

来源：

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | 2008年 / 105卷 / 38期

关键词：

electron microscopy; neocortex; neuronal density; sex;

D O I：

10.1073/pnas.0803652105

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

Certain cognitive functions differ in men and women, although the anatomical and functional substrates underlying these differences remain unknown. Because neocortical activity is directly related with higher brain function, numerous studies have focused on the cerebral cortex when searching for possible structural correlates of cognitive gender differences. However, there are no studies on possible gender differences at the synaptic level. In the present work we have used stereological and correlative light and electron microscopy to show that men have a significantly higher synaptic density than women in all cortical layers of the temporal neocortex. These differences may represent a microanatomical substrate contributing to the functional gender differences in brain activity.

引用

页码：14615 / 14619

页数：5

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[1] Sexual dimorphism and asymmetries in the gray-white composition of the human cerebrum [J].