Sex differences in effects of tDCS and language treatments on brain functional connectivity in primary progressive aphasia

Autor: Abigail E. Licata, Yi Zhao, Olivia Herrmann, Argye E. Hillis, John Desmond, Chiadi Onyike, Kyrana Tsapkini
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: NeuroImage: Clinical, Vol 37, Iss , Pp 103329- (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2213-1582
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103329
Popis: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting language functions. Neuromodulatory techniques (e.g., transcranial direct current stimulation, active-tDCS) and behavioral (speech-language) therapy have shown promising results in treating speech and language deficits in PPA patients. One mechanism of active-tDCS efficacy is through modulation of network functional connectivity (FC). It remains unknown how biological sex influences FC and active-tDCS or language treatment(s). In the current study, we compared sex differences, induced by active-tDCS and language therapy alone, in the default mode and language networks, acquired during resting-state fMRI in 36 PPA patients. Using a novel statistical method, the covariate-assisted-principal-regression (CAPs) technique, we found sex and age differences in FC changes following active-tDCS. In the default mode network (DMN): (1) men (in both conditions) showed greater FC in DMN than women. (2) men who received active-tDCS showed greater FC in the DMN than men who received language-treatment only. In the language network: (1) women who received active-tDCS showed significantly greater FC across the language network than women who received sham-tDCS. As age increases, regardless of sex and treatment condition, FC in language regions decreases. The current findings suggest active-tDCS treatment in PPA alters network-specific FC in a sex-dependent manner.
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