The number of studies investigating sex differences in executive functions, particularly those using human functional neuroimaging techniques, has risen dramatically in the past decade. However, the influences of sex on executive function are still underexplored and poorly characterized. To address this, we conducted a systematic literature review of functional neuroimaging studies investigating sex differences in three prominent executive control domains of cognitive set‐shifting, performance monitoring, and response inhibition. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were systematically searched. Following the application of exclusion criteria, 21 studies were included, with a total of 677 females and 686 males. Ten of these studies were fMRI and PET, eight were EEG, and three were NIRS. At present, there is evidence for sex differences in the neural networks underlying all tasks of executive control included in this review suggesting males and females engage different strategies depending on task demands. There was one task exception, the 2‐Back task, which showed no sex differences. Due to methodological variability and the involvement of multiple neural networks, a simple overarching statement with regard to gender differences during executive control cannot be provided. As such, we discuss limitations within the current literature and methodological considerations that should be employed in future research. Importantly, sex differences in neural mechanisms are present in the majority of tasks assessed, and thus should not be ignored in future research.

中文翻译：

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执行控制中的性别差异：功能性神经影像学研究的系统综述

在过去的十年中，研究执行功能中性别差异的研究数量，特别是使用人类功能神经成像技术的研究数量，已经大大增加。但是，性别对执行功能的影响仍未得到充分的研究，且特征不清。为了解决这个问题，我们对功能性神经影像学研究进行了系统的文献综述，以研究在认知集合转移，绩效监控和反应抑制的三个主要执行控制域中的性别差异。系统搜索了PubMed，Web of Science和Scopus。根据排除标准的应用，纳入了21项研究，总共677名女性和686名男性。这些研究中有十项是功能磁共振成像和PET，八项是脑电图，三项是NIRS。目前，在这篇评论中，有证据表明在执行控制的所有任务所依据的神经网络中存在性别差异，这表明男性和女性根据任务需求采取不同的策略。有一个任务例外，即2-Back任务，没有性别差异。由于方法的可变性和多个神经网络的参与，无法提供有关执行控制中性别差异的简单总体陈述。因此，我们讨论了当前文献中的局限性以及应在将来的研究中使用的方法论上的考虑。重要的是，评估的大多数任务都存在神经机制的性别差异，因此在以后的研究中不应忽略。