title: Male brain ages faster: the age and gender dependence of subcortical volumes.
abstract: Effects of gender on grey matter (GM) volume differences in subcortical structures of the human brain have consistently been reported. Recent research evidence suggests that both gender and brain size influences volume distribution in subcortical areas independently. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of the interplay between brain size, gender and age contributing to volume differences of subcortical GM in the human brain. High-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from 53 healthy males and 50 age-matched healthy females. Total GM volume was determined using voxel-based morphometry. We used model-based subcortical segmentation analysis to measure the volume of subcortical nuclei. Main effects of gender, brain volume and aging on subcortical structures were examined using multivariate analysis of variance. No significant difference was found in total brain volume between the two genders after correcting for total intracranial volume. Our analysis revealed significantly larger hippocampus volume for females. Additionally, GM volumes of the caudate nucleus, putamen and thalamus displayed a significant age-related decrease in males as compared to females. In contrast to this only the thalamic volume loss proved significant for females. Strikingly, GM volume decreases faster in males than in females emphasizing the interplay between aging and gender on subcortical structures. These findings might have important implications for the interpretation of the effects of unalterable factors (i.e. gender and age) in cross-sectional structural MRI studies. Furthermore, the volume distribution and changes of subcortical structures have been consistently related to several neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g. Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, etc.). Understanding these changes might yield further insight in the course and prognosis of these disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Király
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.|International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Nikoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Szabó
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tóth
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gergő
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Csete
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Faragó
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: Krisztián
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kocsis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Must
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary.|MTA-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vécsei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, H-6725, Hungary. kincses.zsigmond.tamas@med.u-szeged.hu.|International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic. kincses.zsigmond.tamas@med.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: Zsigmond Tamás
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Kincses
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009929:Organ Size; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Brain volume; Gender; MRI; Subcortical structures