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| Home > Publications database > Stressor-Specific Sex Differences in Amygdala-Frontal Cortex Networks |
| Preprint | FZJ-2022-04743 |
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2022
Social Science Electronic Publ.
[S.l.]
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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/32645 doi:10.2139/ssrn.4134211
Abstract: Women and men differ in their stress reactivity and stress coping and in the prevalence rates of stress-related disorders. Sex differences also exist in the reaction to different stressors: while women seem more susceptible to social exclusion, men seem to react stronger to achievement stress. Following a model of stress coping, target brain regions were identified including amygdala, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We investigated sex differences in stress reactivity on a subjective, hormonal, and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) level by administering two different stressors to 40 females and 37 males: (1) achievement stress via a modified version of the Montreal Imaging Stress Task, and (2) social exclusion through the Cyberball paradigm. To assess manipulation in amygdala-frontal networks, rs-scans were obtained before and after each stressor. Additionally, cortisol levels and subjective affect were assessed. For social exclusion, amygdala–vACC and amygdala–mPFC rsFC was higher in females than males, with a positive association of amygdala–vACC rsFC with cortisol in females. Further, amygdala–vACC rsFC was higher for social exclusion compared to achievement stress in females. For achievement stress, associations of positive affect with amygdala–mPFC rsFC and anger with amygdala–vACC rsFC were observed. Higher amygdala–vACC rsFC and its positive association with cortisol indicates a higher need for processing and coping with social exclusion in women than men. Higher amygdala–mPFC rsFC, however, indicates feelings of reward and social gain, pointing to positive effects of social affiliation. Thus, for females, feeling socially affiliated might be more fundamental than for males. Contrarily, during achievement stress a different pattern emerged with higher amygdala–mPFC and lower amygdala–vACC rsFC being associated with more negative mood, which might be associated with goal directed behaviour. Thus, our data indicate sex-specific rsFC, cortisol and mood patterns during social exclusion and achievement stress and contribute to a better understanding of sex differences in rsFC due to different stressors.
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