University of Tehran Journal of Applied Psychological Research 2251-8126 17 2 2026 07 01 Sex Differences in Task-based Functional Connectivity in Balanced Bilinguals Sex Differences in Task-based Functional Connectivity in Balanced Bilinguals 281 300 95873 10.22059/japr.2024.367586.644770 FA Simin Meykadeh Department of Linguistics - Faculty of Humanities- Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0001-8155-2891 Journal Article 2023 11 02 Investigating sex-related alterations in task-state functional connectivity (FC) within and between brain networks in balanced bilinguals was the goal of the current applied-fundamental research project. Turkish-Persian bilingual PhD students from prestigious public universities in Tehran made up the current statistical population in 2020. In this study, thirty bilinguals—fifteen males and fifteen females—were chosen using the purposivesample method. Every participant was a native Turkish speaker who started learning Persian when they were seven years old. Initially, the sampling was done in 2020 at Tarbiat Modares University’s Linguistics department using working memory tests, L1-L2 assessment interviews, and self-evaluations of L1 and L2. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was then used to gather data during an auditory multilingual task. Grammaticality assessments of alternating L1-L2 sentences were required for the job. The language network’s target regions were chosen to be the left Pars Opercularis (PO) and the left posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus (pSTG). Additionally chosen as target regions in the language control network were the bilateral Planum Temporale (PT), bilateral Supplementary Motor Area (SMA), and bilateral Precentral Gyrus (PreCG). The CONN-fMRI functional Connectivity toolbox v20.b was used for FC, and SPSS-26 was used for statistical analysis. The findings showed that females had more connection within the language network from the left PO to the left pSTG (P = 0.001) than males. Accordingly, women outperformed men in terms of intra-network connectivities. When considered collectively, these results suggested that sex differences were consistently connected with the strength of task-state inter-network and intra-network FCs, confirming the notion of a female advantage in language use. Investigating sex-related alterations in task-state functional connectivity (FC) within and between brain networks in balanced bilinguals was the goal of the current applied-fundamental research project. Turkish-Persian bilingual PhD students from prestigious public universities in Tehran made up the current statistical population in 2020. In this study, thirty bilinguals—fifteen males and fifteen females—were chosen using the purposivesample method. Every participant was a native Turkish speaker who started learning Persian when they were seven years old. Initially, the sampling was done in 2020 at Tarbiat Modares University’s Linguistics department using working memory tests, L1-L2 assessment interviews, and self-evaluations of L1 and L2. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was then used to gather data during an auditory multilingual task. Grammaticality assessments of alternating L1-L2 sentences were required for the job. The language network’s target regions were chosen to be the left Pars Opercularis (PO) and the left posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus (pSTG). Additionally chosen as target regions in the language control network were the bilateral Planum Temporale (PT), bilateral Supplementary Motor Area (SMA), and bilateral Precentral Gyrus (PreCG). The CONN-fMRI functional Connectivity toolbox v20.b was used for FC, and SPSS-26 was used for statistical analysis. The findings showed that females had more connection within the language network from the left PO to the left pSTG (P = 0.001) than males. Accordingly, women outperformed men in terms of intra-network connectivities. When considered collectively, these results suggested that sex differences were consistently connected with the strength of task-state inter-network and intra-network FCs, confirming the notion of a female advantage in language use. https://japr.ut.ac.ir/article_95873_f20f6520797f54944fa10e90e3f51f84.pdf