| 摘要: | 性別差異表現在空間探索和運動控制這兩種認知能力上，在文獻上已經有頗為一致的結論；然而造成行為差異的腦部機制為何，迄今尚未有定論。就空間探索能力的研究而言，部份腦造影研究結果發現，男性的左海馬迴和女性的右頂葉與右前額葉分別在從事空間探索作業時更為活化。就運動控制的能力而言，對腦中風病人的研究發現，男性左腦後區中風較易導致動作不能症，而女性則是左腦前區中風時較易導致相同症狀；然而這個結果還未在正常人身上複試。針對空間探索和運動控制的性別差異的腦部神經網路直接作研究的報告，目前仍然付諸闕如。本研究計劃提出六個實驗結合行為研究法、功能性核磁共振造影以及擴散張量造影技術，探討性別差異如何表現在空間探索（實驗一、三、五）和運動控制（實驗二、四、六)的行為、功能性神經網路以及結構性神經通路等層次上。本研究的結果，在基礎醫學部份可應用在神經外科手術以及神經復健上；在公共領域與私領域的空間設計上，則可以根據行為和腦部機制特性提供適合不同性別的最佳設計參數。 Sex differences in spatial navigation and motor control have been documented in the literature, yet the brain mechanisms underlying these sex differences are still under debate. For spatial navigation, distinct activation of the left hippocampus in males and right parietal and right prefrontal cortex in females have been conjectured to explain the sex differences in navigating the space. For motor control, patient studies have revealed that the anterior and posterior regions played differential role in the female and male brain when they select manual movements; this observation, however, has not been confirmed on the healthy population. With the conjoint application of behavioral paradigm, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (dMRI) techniques, we proposed six experiments to examine the functional and structural neural network underlying the sex differences in spatial navigation and motor control. Experiment 1, 3, and 5 will examine sex differences in spatial navigation at the behavioral, neural-functional, and neural-structural levels, respectively; whereas Experiment 2, 4, and 6 will verify sex differences in motor control at the behavioral, neural-functional, and neural-structural levels, respectively. Because the conjoint operation of functional and structural imaging has not been applied in previous studies examining spatial navigation and motor control, the behavioral and neuroimaging experiments will together advance our understanding of how female and male brains deal with these two cognitive abilities. Knowledge from these basic scientific experiments will also foster better design of the public and private space so that both sexes will have less difficulty in finding their ways in the environment and interact with devices more easily. 研究期間：9611 ~ 9707 |
