The Influence of Sex and Age on Unilateral Cerebral Lesion Sequelae

Abstract

Group differences in unilateral lesion sequolae may suggest group differences in brain organization, but only if the two groups have equivalent lesions. In an analysis of sex and age on neuropsychological performance, we quantified lesion size and location, based on CT images. Significant sex by group (left, right, controls) interactions were found for variables most related to left hemisphere functions (verbal intellectual, right motor, right sensory), but not for variables most related to right hemisphere functions (nonverbal intellectual, left motor, left sensory). For each interaction, left males performed worse than left females, but right males were better than right females. Further, these sex differences were not due to sex differences in lesion parameters. Age was not a major determinant of lesion sequelae.