Sex-differences in brain multimodal estimates of white matter microstructure during early adolescence: Sex-specific associations with biological factors

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Sex-differences in brain multimodal estimates of white matter microstructure during early adolescence: Sex-specific associations with biological factors
Authors: Schilliger, Z., Pavan, T., Alemán-Gómez, Y., Steullet, P., Céléreau, E., Binz, P.A., Celen, Z., Piguet, C., Merglen, A., Hagmann, P., Do, K., Conus, P., Jelescu, I., Dwir, D.
Source: Brain, behavior, and immunity, vol. 126, pp. 98-110
Publisher Information: 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: White Matter/diagnostic imaging, White Matter/growth & development, Humans, Female, Male, Adolescent, Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods, Sex Characteristics, Brain/growth & development, Brain/diagnostic imaging, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiology, Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiology, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Child, Sex Factors, Adolescence, Conventional and advanced dMRI models, Glutathione-cycle redox homeostasis, Gonadal Hormones, HPA-axis, Sex-differences, White-Matter Tract Integrity Watson biophysical model
Description: Adolescence is marked by significant maturation of brain white matter microstructure, with evidence for sex-specific maturational trajectory. Most studies have examined conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics, which lack specificity to the underlying tissue modifications. In this study, we characterized sex-differences in white matter microstructure cross-sectionally using DTI, advanced diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), as well as the white matter tract integrity-Watson (WMTI-W) biophysical model. We also aimed to explore the effect of age and biological systems undergoing sex-specific changes during adolescence, namely pubertal hormones, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis function, and glutathione-redox cycle homeostasis. The results indicate widespread sex-differences in all the white matter derived metrics, suggesting more advanced maturation in females compared to males as well as distinct tissue modifications underlying white matter maturation between males and females during this narrow developmental period. Additionally, the three biological factors explored appeared to be associated with indices of white matter maturation in females specifically, emphasizing this period as critical in female white matter development and sensitivity to environmental factors.
Document Type: Article
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
Access URL: http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_BBC0984EB1506
https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_BBC0984EB150
https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_BBC0984EB150.P001/REF.pdf
Rights: CC BY
Accession Number: edsair.od......1900..ab036a4cd87baa2abb010038a6409789
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Adolescence is marked by significant maturation of brain white matter microstructure, with evidence for sex-specific maturational trajectory. Most studies have examined conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics, which lack specificity to the underlying tissue modifications. In this study, we characterized sex-differences in white matter microstructure cross-sectionally using DTI, advanced diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), as well as the white matter tract integrity-Watson (WMTI-W) biophysical model. We also aimed to explore the effect of age and biological systems undergoing sex-specific changes during adolescence, namely pubertal hormones, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis function, and glutathione-redox cycle homeostasis. The results indicate widespread sex-differences in all the white matter derived metrics, suggesting more advanced maturation in females compared to males as well as distinct tissue modifications underlying white matter maturation between males and females during this narrow developmental period. Additionally, the three biological factors explored appeared to be associated with indices of white matter maturation in females specifically, emphasizing this period as critical in female white matter development and sensitivity to environmental factors.