Fear-related activity in subgenual anterior cingulate differs between men and women.

Publication Type	Academic Article
Authors	Butler T, Pan H, Epstein J, Protopopescu X, Tuescher O, Goldstein M, Cloitre M, Yang Y, Phelps E, Gorman J, Ledoux J, Stern E, Silbersweig D
Journal	Neuroreport
Volume	16
Issue	11
Pagination	1233-6
Date Published	08/01/2005
ISSN	0959-4965
Keywords	Fear, Gyrus Cinguli, Sex Characteristics
Abstract	Functional magnetic resonance imaging in association with an instructed fear/anticipatory anxiety paradigm was used to explore sex differences in the human fear response. During anticipation of mild electrodermal stimulation, women, as compared with men, demonstrated increased activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and functionally related regions of the insula and brainstem. The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex is a region critical for emotional control implicated in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disease. Present findings suggest a contributory neural substrate for the greater susceptibility of women to anxiety and affective disorders, and emphasize the importance of considering participant sex when designing and interpreting functional neuroimaging studies.
DOI	10.1097/00001756-200508010-00020
PubMed ID	16012355