Puberty differentially predicts brain maturation in males and females during early adolescence: A longitudinal ABCD Study - Inria - Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique Access content directly
Preprints, Working Papers, ... Year :

Puberty differentially predicts brain maturation in males and females during early adolescence: A longitudinal ABCD Study

Dani Beck
Lia Ferschmann
Niamh Macsweeney
Linn Norbom
Thea Wiker
Eira Aksnes
  • Function : Author
Valerie Karl
  • Function : Author
Madelene Holm
Ole Andreassen
Lars Westlye
Tilmann von Soest

Abstract

Abstract Background Research has demonstrated associations between pubertal development and brain maturation. However, existing studies have been limited by small samples, cross-sectional designs, and inconclusive findings regarding coupling directionality and sex differences. Methods We examined the longitudinal temporal coupling of puberty status assessed using the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based brain grey and white matter structure. Our sample consisted of 8,896 children and adolescents at baseline (mean age = 9.9) and 6,099 at follow-up (mean age = 11.9) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Results Applying multigroup Bivariate Latent Change Score (BLCS) models, we found that baseline pubertal status predicted the rate of change in cortical thickness among females only, while it predicted rate of change in cortical surface area for both males and females, with a significantly stronger association for females. For cortical surface area, we also found a correlation between baseline pubertal status and area and co-occurring changes over time, with both associations present in males only. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis revealed correlated change between pubertal status and fractional anisotropy (FA) for both males and females, but no significant associations for mean diffusivity (MD). Conclusions Our results suggest that pubertal status in early adolescence predicts cortical maturation, and that the strength of the associations differ between sex. Further research is needed to understand how the associations between puberty and brain maturation are related to environmental and lifestyle factors, and the impact on mental health.

Dates and versions

hal-03922433 , version 1 (04-01-2023)

Identifiers

Cite

Dani Beck, Lia Ferschmann, Niamh Macsweeney, Linn Norbom, Thea Wiker, et al.. Puberty differentially predicts brain maturation in males and females during early adolescence: A longitudinal ABCD Study. 2022. ⟨hal-03922433⟩
29 View
0 Download

Altmetric

Share

Gmail Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More