Sex-related differences in task switching: An fMRI study

Kuptsova, S. V.; Ivanova, Maria V.; Petrushevsky, A. G.; Fedina, O. N.; Жаворонкова, Л. А.

doi:10.1134/s0362119715050084

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Recently, however, recruitment of the DLPFC was found to be enhanced during attentional set-shifting in early postmenopausal women who were treated with estradiol compared with placebo in an fMRI study that used a double-blind crossover design [ 50 •]. This result is compatible with a female advantage recently reported on a measure of attentional shifting in younger adults < age 50 years [ 18 ]. Ovarian cycle-dependent effects on response inhibition, another function that evokes strong prefrontal recruitment [ 51 , 52 ], also have been reported [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Section: Other Prefrontal Functionssupporting

confidence: 57%

“…A female advantage has been reported on certain WM tasks in young adults including the spatial working memory (SPWM) task of Duff and Hampson [ 14 ] (a task that requires the active holding and recurrent updating of spatial positions within WM) (Fig. 1 ), digit randomization, the double-span task, as well as, in NHP, the classic delayed response task [ 12 , 14 – 18 ], but a female advantage has been observed only when executive demands on WM are high and is not seen on simple span-capacity tasks (e.g., forward digit span) that lack a requirement for sustained mental manipulation of information and emphasize instead the passive storage elements of the WM system that are associated with perisylvian cortex [ 19 ]. Conversely, the N- back task is a WM task well suited to functional imaging studies, but it shows no, or even a reversed sex difference [ 20 •, 21 •], in spite of being subject to estrogen-related modulation at the neural level (see below).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Estrogens, Aging, and Working Memory

Hampson

2018

Curr Psychiatry Rep

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Purpose of ReviewWorking memory (WM) is a key process that is integral to many complex cognitive tasks, and it declines significantly with advancing age. This review will survey recent evidence supporting the idea that the functioning of the WM system in women is modulated by circulating estrogens.Recent FindingsIn postmenopausal women, increased estrogen concentrations may be associated with improved WM function, which is evident on WM tasks that have a high cognitive load or significant manipulation demands. Experimental studies in rhesus monkeys and human neuroimaging studies support a prefrontal locus for these effects. Defining the basic neurochemical or cellular mechanisms that underlie the ability of estrogens to regulate WM is a topic of current research in both human and animal investigations.SummaryAn emerging body of work suggests that frontal executive elements of the WM system are influenced by the circulating estrogen concentrations currently available to the CNS and that the effects are region-specific within the frontal cortex. These findings have implications for women’s brain health and cognitive aging.

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Section: Other Prefrontal Functionssupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estrogens, Aging, and Working Memory

Hampson

2018

Curr Psychiatry Rep

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“…On the other hand, there is evidence for better sequential multitasking performance in women than in men [16–17]. For instance, Stoet and colleagues (2013) instructed participants to either repeat or switch between a shape discrimination task and a filling discrimination task [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, some studies report no gender differences [12–15], while others report women to be better at multitasking than men [16, 17] or vice versa [18, 19]. Moreover, existing findings are difficult to compare and interpret because they either exclusively focused on sequential (e.g., task-switching, such as [17]) or concurrent multitasking (e.g., dual-tasking, such as [15]), or because they were based on very small sample sizes (e.g., gender differences in the PRP effect assessed with 10 subjects per gender group in [18] or relied on post-hoc exploratory analyses [21]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Putting a stereotype to the test: The case of gender differences in multitasking costs in task-switching and dual-task situations

2019

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According to a popular stereotype, women are better at multitasking than men, but empirical evidence for gender differences in multitasking performance is mixed. Previous work has focused on specific aspects of multitasking or has not considered gender differences in abilities contributing to multitasking performance. We therefore tested gender differences ( N = 96, 50% female) in sequential (i.e., task switching) and concurrent (i.e., dual tasking) multitasking, while controlling for possible gender differences in working memory, processing speed, spatial abilities, and fluid intelligence. Applying two standard experimental paradigms allowed us to test multitasking abilities across five different empirical indices (i.e., performance costs) for both reaction time (RT) and accuracy measures, respectively. Multitasking resulted in substantial performance costs across all experimental conditions without a single significant gender difference in any of these ten measures, even when controlling for gender differences in underlying cognitive abilities. Thus, our results do not confirm the widespread stereotype that women are better at multitasking than men at least in the popular sequential and concurrent multitasking settings used in the present study.

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“…However, the underlying reasons were not clear. Evidence has demonstrated the differences in neural organization of task-switching process between females and males [38], which may explain part of the gender-specific findings. More studies are required to further confirm the findings and clarify the potential mechanisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of Cognitive Function with BMI, Body Fat Mass and Visceral Fat in Young Adulthood

et al. 2019

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Background and objectives: Existing studies concerning the associations of cognitive function with adiposity in young adults are sparse. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations of adiposity with cognitive control in young adults. Materials and Methods: Participants were 213 young adults (98 women and 115 men). Cognitive control was measured using a modified task-switching paradigm. Anthropometrics were measured by standardized procedures. Body fat mass and visceral fat area were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Results: The results showed that increased body mass index (BMI, p = 0.02), body fat percentage (p = 0.02), and visceral fat area (p = 0.01) were significantly correlated with larger global switch costs of accuracy in women. In men, high levels of body fat percentage (p = 0.01) and visceral fat area (p = 0.03) were significantly correlated with larger local switch costs of reaction time. Conclusions: The results indicated that elevated adiposity was associated with worse performance on measures of cognitive control in young adults.

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Sex-related differences in task switching: An fMRI study

Cited by 21 publications

References 24 publications

Estrogens, Aging, and Working Memory

Estrogens, Aging, and Working Memory

Putting a stereotype to the test: The case of gender differences in multitasking costs in task-switching and dual-task situations

Associations of Cognitive Function with BMI, Body Fat Mass and Visceral Fat in Young Adulthood

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