Sex differences in cognition and structural covariance-based morphometric connectivity: evidence from 28,000+ UK Biobank participants.

There is robust evidence for sex differences in domain-specific cognition, where females typically show an advantage for verbal memory, whereas males tend to perform better in spatial memory. Sex differences in brain connectivity are well documented and may provide insight into these differences. In this study, we examined sex differences in cognition and structural covariance, as an index of morphometric connectivity, of a large healthy sample (n = 28,821) from the UK Biobank. Using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and regional cortical thickness values, we applied jackknife bias estimation and graph theory to obtain subject-specific measures of structural covariance, hypothesizing that sex-related differences in brain network global efficiency, or overall covariance, would underlie cognitive differences. As predicted, females demonstrated better verbal memory and males showed a spatial memory advantage. Females also demonstrated faster processing speed, with no observed sex difference in executive functioning. Males showed higher global efficiency, as well as higher regional covariance (nodal strengths) in both hemispheres relative to females. Furthermore, higher global efficiency in males mediated sex differences in verbal memory and processing speed. Findings contribute to an improved understanding of how biological sex and differences in cognition are related to morphometric connectivity as derived from graph-theoretic methods.

Polarization of Gold in Nanopores Leads to Ion Current Rectification.

Biomimetic nanopores with rectifying properties are relevant components of ionic switches, ionic circuits, and biological sensors. Rectification indicates that currents for voltages of one polarity are higher than currents for voltages of the opposite polarity. Ion current rectification requires the presence of surface charges on the pore walls, achieved either by the attachment of charged groups or in multielectrode systems by applying voltage to integrated gate electrodes. Here we present a simpler concept for introducing surface charges via polarization of a thin layer of Au present at one entrance of a silicon nitride nanopore. In an electric field applied by two electrodes placed in bulk solution on both sides of the membrane, the Au layer polarizes such that excess positive charge locally concentrates at one end and negative charge concentrates at the other end. Consequently, a junction is formed between zones with enhanced anion and cation concentrations in the solution adjacent to the Au layer. This bipolar double layer together with enhanced cation concentration in a negatively charged silicon nitride nanopore leads to voltage-controlled surface-charge patterns and ion current rectification. The experimental findings are supported by numerical modeling that confirm modulation of ionic concentrations by the Au layer and ion current rectification even in low-aspect ratio nanopores. Our findings enable a new strategy for creating ionic circuits with diodes and transistors.

Highly Charged Particles Cause a Larger Current Blockage in Micropores Compared to Neutral Particles.

Single pores in the resistive-pulse technique are used as an analytics tool to detect, size, and characterize physical as well as chemical properties of individual objects such as molecules and particles. Each object passing through a pore causes a transient change of the transmembrane current called a resistive pulse. In high salt concentrations when the pore diameter is significantly larger than the screening Debye length, it is assumed that the particle size and surface charge can be determined independently from the same experiment. In this article we challenge this assumption and show that highly charged hard spheres can cause a significant increase of the resistive-pulse amplitude compared to neutral particles of a similar diameter. As a result, resistive pulses overestimate the size of charged particles by even 20%. The observation is explained by the effect of concentration polarization created across particles in a pore, revealed by numerical modeling of ionic concentrations, ion current, and local electric fields. It is notable that in resistive-pulse experiments with cylindrical pores, concentration polarization was previously shown to influence ionic concentrations only at pore entrances; consequently, additional and transient modulation of resistive pulses was observed when a particle entered or left the pore. Here we postulate that concentration polarization can occur across transported particles at any particle position along the pore axis and affect the magnitude of the entire resistive pulse. Consequently, the recorded resistive pulses of highly charged particles reflect not only the particles' volume but also the size of the depletion zone created in front of the moving particle. Moreover, the modeling identified that the effective surface charge density of particles depended not only on the density of functional groups on the particle but also on the capacitance of the Stern layer. The findings are of crucial importance for sizing particles and characterizing their surface charge properties.

Anomalous mobility of highly charged particles in pores.

Single micropores in resistive-pulse technique were used to understand a complex dependence of particle mobility on its surface charge density. We show that the mobility of highly charged carboxylated particles decreases with the increase of the solution pH due to an interplay of three effects: (i) ion condensation, (ii) formation of an asymmetric electrical double layer around the particle, and (iii) electroosmotic flow induced by the charges on the pore walls and the particle surfaces. The results are important for applying resistive-pulse technique to determine surface charge density and zeta potential of the particles. The experiments also indicate the presence of condensed ions, which contribute to the measured current if a sufficiently high electric field is applied across the pore.

Pores with longitudinal irregularities distinguish objects by shape.

The resistive-pulse technique has been used to detect and size objects which pass through a single pore. The amplitude of the ion current change observed when a particle is in the pore is correlated with the particle volume. Up to date, however, the resistive-pulse approach has not been able to distinguish between objects of similar volume but different shapes. In this manuscript, we propose using pores with longitudinal irregularities as a sensitive tool capable of distinguishing spherical and rod-shaped particles with different lengths. The ion current modulations within resulting resistive pulses carry information on the length of passing objects. The performed experiments also indicate the rods rotate while translocating, and displace an effective volume that is larger than their geometrical volume, and which also depends on the pore diameter.