Sex differences in sensorimotor mu rhythms during selective attentional processing

Magnetoencephalography was used to investigate the effect of directed attention on changes in sensorimotor mu (8-12Hz) response (mu reactivity ) to non-painful electrical stimulation of the median nerve in healthy adults. Results indicated attention-related sex differences in mu reactivity, with females showing (i) prolonged mu suppression when attending to somatosensory stimuli indicating active processing of the sensory stimuli; (ii) task-dependent attentional modulation of the mu response, which was absent in males, and (iii) a trend for greater neuronal excitability of the primary somatosensory region suggesting greater physiological responsiveness to stimulation overall. Sex-related differences in attentional modulation of sensorimotor rhythms suggest that females and males use different top-down control strategies when processing somatosensory information. These sex differences in attention may underlie well-documented sex-related biases in pain processing wherein females typically report greater sensitivity to experimental and clinical pain.