It is well known that there is a gender-related difference in the formation of personality or in the structure and function of the brain. However, little is known about the gender differences in brain function related to anxiety-related personality traits, considering that females are known to show higher scores than males for anxiety related personality traits.
In the present study, the relationship between anxiety traits and brain glucose metabolism was examined by taking gender effects into consideration using a large cohort sample. Regional brain glucose metabolism was measured using [18FDG-PET] in 102 healthy subjects (65 males and 37 females) and the anxiety-related traits were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory dimension Harm Avoidance (HA).
The results have revealed that individuals who exhibit a higher score for HA have lower glucose metabolic activity in the anterior ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which has been shown to be involved in the recollection of emotional autobiographical memory, mediating the integration of sensory information with self-specific information, this tendency being evident more clearly in females than in males. The anterior vmPFC may be a possible neural target for the prevention or therapy of emotional disorders, especially in females.