title: Testosterone-related cortical maturation across childhood and adolescence.
abstract: Neuroendocrine theories of brain development hold testosterone as the predominant factor mediating sex-specific cortical growth and the ensuing lateralization of hemispheric function. However, studies to date have focussed on prenatal testosterone rather than pubertal changes in testosterone. Yet, animal studies have shown a high density of androgen-sensitive receptors in multiple key cortical areas, and puberty is known to coincide with both a significant rise in testosterone and the emergence of behavioral sex differences, suggesting peripubertal influences of testosterone on brain development. Here, we used linear mixed models to examine sex-specific cortical maturation associated with changes in testosterone levels in a longitudinal sample of developmentally healthy children and adolescents. A significant "sex by age by testosterone" interaction on cortical thickness (CTh) involving widespread areas of the developing brain was found. Testosterone levels were associated with CTh changes in regions of the left hemisphere in males and of the right hemisphere in females. In both sexes, the relationship between testosterone and CTh varied across the age span. These findings show the association between testosterone and CTh to be complex, highly dynamic, and to vary, depending on sex and age; they also suggest sex-related hemispheric lateralization effects of testosterone in humans.
authors.affiliation: McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada H3A 2B4.
authors.forename: Tuong-Vi
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCracken
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ducharme
authors.forename: Kelly N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Botteron
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahabir
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Mimi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Sherif
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karama
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone