A systematic literature review of sex differences in childhood language and brain development

NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA

卷:114

Review

Etchell, Andrew¹  Adhikari, Aditi²  Weinberg, Lauren S.³  Choo, Ai Leen⁴  Garnett, Emily O.¹  Chow, Ho Ming^1,5  Chang, Soo-Eun¹ 

[1] Univ Michigan, Dept Psychiat, Rachel Upjohn Bldg,4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA

[2] Univ N Carolina, Coll Arts & Sci, Chapel Hill, NC 27515 USA

[3] Univ Michigan, Coll Literature Sci & Arts, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA

[4] Georgia State Univ, Dept Commun Sci & Disorders, Atlanta, GA 30303 USA

[5] Nemours Alfred I duPont Hosp Children, Katzin Diagnost & Res PET MR Ctr, Wilmington, DE USA

关键词: Sex differences;    Children;    Brain;    Language;    Development;    Laterality;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.011

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The extent of sex differences in childhood language development is unclear. We conducted a systematic literature review synthesizing results from studies examining sex differences in brain structure and function relevant to language development during childhood. We searched PubMed and Scopus databases, and this returned a total of 46 published studies meeting criteria for inclusion that directly examined sex differences in brain development relevant to language function in children. The results indicate that: (a) sex differences in brain structure or function do not necessarily lead to differences in language task performance; (b) evidence for sex differences in brain and language development are limited; (c) when present, sex differences often interact with a variety of factors such as age and task. Overall, the magnitude of sexual dimorphism of brain developmental trajectories associated with language is not as significant as previously thought. Sex differences were found, however, in studies employing tighter age ranges. This suggests that sex differences may be more prominent during certain developmental stages but are negligible in other stages, likely due to different rates of maturation between the sexes. More research is needed to improve our understanding of how sex differences may arise due to the influence of sex hormones and developmental stages, and how these differences may lead to differences in various language task performance. These studies are expected to provide normative information that may be used in studies examining neurodevelopmental disorders that frequently affect more males than females, and also often affect language development.

【 授权许可】

Free