Gender differences in dynamic functional connectivity based on resting-state fMRI

Many neuroscience studies have found brain differences lead to the gender differences in behavior and cognitive ability. Functional connectivity is a common and effective measure to characterize brain. Most current studies based on fMRI functional connectivity basically assumed temporal stationarity across the duration of scanning, and thought that brain functional connectivity was constant in a certain period of time. However, some studies revealed that the functional connectivity was dynamic and fluctuant over time. Dynamic functional connectivity could more accurately describe changes in neural activity. A high value of flexibility indicates frequent interactions between regions. In this article, gender differences in global brain flexibility were further investigated, and twelve brain regions with significantly flexibility differences were found. The female's flexibility is lower than male's in the amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus. And in the temporal lobe, precuneus, middle cingulate gyrus, superior occipital gyrus, and inferior occipital gyrus the flexibility of male group is lower than female group. The findings may improve the understanding and provide new insights into gender differences on behaviors and cognition from the perspective of resting-state brain function.