Developmental gender differences in the synchronization of auditory event-related oscillations

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the present study was to explore the neurophysiologic origins of gender differences in auditory processing mechanisms of 7–10 year-old children by means of event-related oscillations. It was tested if the developmental changes in synchronization and magnitude of oscillations in different processing conditions depended on gender. Methods Eighteen girls and 18 boys aged 7–10 years were pair wise matched for age and were divided into two age groups. Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in passive, sensorimotor and working memory conditions. Phase-locking and single-trial magnitude of ERPs were analyzed in the delta (0.5–4 Hz), theta (4–7 Hz), slow (7–10 Hz), and fast (10–14 Hz) alpha frequency bands to test the effects of gender, age, and processing condition. Results The phase-locking of auditory delta, theta, and slow alpha oscillations increased with development only in girls, independently of task processing. Only for the theta phase-locking was this effect additionally affected by the motor-related task. No changes in the magnitude of oscillations accompanied these gender differences in synchronization except for parietal delta responses that also increased with development only in girls. Conclusions The results demonstrate that gender differences in auditory ERPs basically originate from a stronger functional synchronization of oscillatory responses generated during stimulus processing. Significance The study provides evidence that the functional maturation of oscillatory auditory networks reflected by a progressive developmental increase of synchronization, is accelerated in girls relative to boys between 7 and 10 years of age.