| 1. |
- Dale, Caitlin, et al.
(författare)
-
Aberrant callosal morphology in ex-smokers
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Integrative Neuroscience. - : IMR Press. - 0219-6352 .- 1757-448X. ; 21:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Cigarette smoking is associated with widespread structural alterations in both brain hemispheres as well as of the corpus callosum (i.e., the brain???s main interhemispheric white matter pathway). While similar hemispheric alterations have also been reported in ex-smokers, no study has yet examined the corpus callosum in ex-smokers.Methods: We compared callosal morphology in a sample of 107 ex-smokers (57 males/50 females) and 193 non-smokers (73 males/120 females), aged between 42 and 97 years. More specifically, we measured the total callosal area as well as seven callosal subregions using the Witelson parcellation scheme.Results: At uncorrected levels, we detected significantly smaller callosal areas in ex-smokers than in non-smokers within the posterior midbody, genu, and isthmus (albeit the latter only on a trend level). When applying corrections for multiple comparisons, only the effect within the posterior midbody remained significant.Conclusions: Our findings suggest a weaker interhemispheric connectivity in ex-smokers compared to non-smokers, specifically between frontal and temporal areas.
|
|
| 2. |
- Feusner, Jamie D., et al.
(författare)
-
Corpus callosum morphology and relationships to illness phenotypes in individuals with anorexia nervosa
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 14:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anorexia nervosa is an often-severe psychiatric illness characterized by significantly low body weight, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. Multiple neuroimaging studies have shown abnormalities in cortical morphology, mostly associated with the starvation state. Investigations of white matter, while more limited in number, have suggested global and regional volume reductions, as well as abnormal diffusivity in multiple regions including the corpus callosum. Yet, no study has specifically examined thickness of the corpus callosum, a large white matter tract instrumental in the inter-hemispheric integration of sensory, motor, and cognitive information. We analyzed MRI data from 48 adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa and 50 healthy controls, all girls/women, to compare corpus callosum thickness and examined relationships with body mass index (BMI), illness duration, and eating disorder symptoms (controlling for BMI). There were no significant group differences in corpus callosum thickness. In the anorexia nervosa group, severity of body shape concerns was significantly, positively correlated with callosal thickness in the rostrum, genu, rostral body, isthmus, and splenium. In addition, there were significant positive correlations between eating disorder-related obsessions and compulsions and thickness of the anterior midbody, rostral body, and splenium. There were no significant associations between callosal thickness and BMI or illness duration. In sum, those with AN with worse concerns about bodily appearance and worse eating disorder-related obsessive thought patterns and compulsive behaviours have regionally thicker corpus callosum, independent of current weight status. These findings provide important neurobiological links to key, specific eating disorder behavioural phenotypes.
|
|
| 3. |
- Kurth, Florian, et al.
(författare)
-
Brain Sex in Transgender Women Is Shifted towards Gender Identity
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 11:6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transgender people report discomfort with their birth sex and a strong identification with the opposite sex. The current study was designed to shed further light on the question of whether the brains of transgender people resemble their birth sex or their gender identity. For this purpose, we analyzed a sample of 24 cisgender men, 24 cisgender women, and 24 transgender women before gender-affirming hormone therapy. We employed a recently developed multivariate classifier that yields a continuous probabilistic (rather than a binary) estimate for brains to be male or female. The brains of transgender women ranged between cisgender men and cisgender women (albeit still closer to cisgender men), and the differences to both cisgender men and to cisgender women were significant (p = 0.016 and p < 0.001, respectively). These findings add support to the notion that the underlying brain anatomy in transgender people is shifted away from their biological sex towards their gender identity.
|
|
| 4. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
Cortical gyrification in women and men and the (missing) link to prenatal androgens
- 2024
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Neuroscience. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0953-816X .- 1460-9568.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous studies have reported sex differences in cortical gyrification. Since most cortical folding is principally defined in utero, sex chromosomes as well as gonadal hormones are likely to influence sex-specific aspects of local gyrification. Classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) causes high levels of androgens during gestation in females, whereas levels in males are largely within the typical male range. Therefore, CAH provides an opportunity to study the possible effects of prenatal androgens on cortical gyrification. Here, we examined the vertex-wise absolute mean curvature—a common estimate for cortical gyrification—in individuals with CAH (33 women and 20 men) and pair-wise matched controls (33 women and 20 men). There was no significant main effect of CAH and no significant CAH-by-sex interaction. However, there was a significant main effect of sex in five cortical regions, where gyrification was increased in women compared to men. These regions were located on the lateral surface of the brain, specifically left middle frontal (rostral and caudal), right inferior frontal, left inferior parietal, and right occipital. There was no cortical region where gyrification was increased in men compared to women. Our findings do not only confirm prior reports of increased cortical gyrification in female brains but also suggest that cortical gyrification is not significantly affected by prenatal androgen exposure. Instead, cortical gyrification might be determined by sex chromosomes either directly or indirectly—the latter potentially by affecting the underlying architecture of the cortex or the size of the intracranial cavity, which is smaller in women.
|
|
| 5. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
From baby brain to mommy brain : Widespread gray matter gain after giving birth
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Cortex. - : ELSEVIER MASSON, CORP OFF. - 0010-9452 .- 1973-8102. ; 126, s. 334-342
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pregnancy results in obvious physiological changes to the female body, but data as to what happens to the maternal brain after giving birth are sparse as well as inconsistent. The overall goal of this study is to determine the nature of cerebral change in the postpartum period. For this purpose, we analyzed T1-weighted brain images of 14 healthy women (age range: 25-38 years) at two time points, specifically within 1-2 days of childbirth (immediate postpartum) and at 4-6 weeks after childbirth (late postpartum). When comparing voxel-wise gray matter between these two time points, there was no evidence of any significant decrease. Instead, we detected a pronounced gray matter increase involving both cortical and subcortical regions, such as the pre- and postcentral gyrus, the frontal and central operculum, the inferior frontal gyrus, the precuneus, and the middle occipital gyrus, as well as the thalamus and caudate. These structural changes occurring within only 4-6 weeks after delivery are reflective of a high degree of neuroplasticity and massive adaptations in the maternal brain. They may suggest a restoration of brain tissue following pregnancy and/or a substantial brain reorganization, possibly to accommodate a multifaceted repertoire of complex behaviors associated with being a mother.
|
|
| 6. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
Gray matter increases within subregions of the hippocampal complex after pregnancy
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Brain Imaging and Behavior. - : Springer Nature. - 1931-7557 .- 1931-7565. ; 15:6, s. 2790-2794
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neuroimaging findings - although still relatively sparse in the realm of postpartum research - suggest significant tissue increases within the hippocampus or its vicinity after giving birth. Given that the hippocampus is not a homogenous structure, effects may manifest differently across the hippocampal complex. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the presence, magnitude, and direction of postpartum gray matter changes within five hippocampal subregions, specifically the dentate gyrus, the subiculum, and the subfields of the cornu ammonis (CA1, CA2 and CA3). For this purpose, we analyzed brain images of 14 healthy women acquired at immediate postpartum (within 1-2 days of childbirth) and at late postpartum (at 4-6 weeks after childbirth). Changes in hippocampal gray matter between both time points were calculated for all subregions as well as the hippocampal complex as a whole by integrating imaging-based intensity information with microscopically defined cytoarchitectonic probabilities. Hippocampal gray matter increased significantly within the right subiculum, right CA2, and right CA3. These findings may suggest that brain tissue lost during pregnancy is being restored after giving birth, perhaps even expanded compared to before pregnancy. Possible events on the microanatomical level include dendritic branching as well as the generation of new synapses, glia cells, and blood vessels. Altogether, the outcomes of our study confirm that hippocampal gray matter increases in the female human brain after giving birth, with differential effects across the hippocampal complex.
|
|
| 7. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
Postpartum Gray Matter Changes in the Auditory Cortex
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 10:23
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After giving birth, a mother's brain undergoes functional adaptations fostering the ability to properly respond to the needs of her newborn. Tuning into and understanding her baby's crying is among the top skills required and executed in the early stages of motherhood. However, surprisingly little is known about potential changes in the anatomy of the maternal auditory cortex. Therefore, in this longitudinal study, we compared the brains of 14 healthy women between immediate postpartum (within 1-2 days of childbirth) and late postpartum (at 4-6 weeks after childbirth), focusing on areas of the primary, secondary, and higher auditory cortex. We observed significant volume increases within all auditory regions and subregions examined, which might reflect rapid adaptations of the mother's brain in relation to reliably interpreting her newborn's cries. There was also a trend for a larger postpartum increase within right-hemispheric regions compared to left-hemispheric regions that might be specifically linked to the ability to discern the pitch, sound, and volume of a baby's crying. Follow-up research is warranted to replicate these findings and evaluate their current interpretation.
|
|
| 8. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
Potential Brain Age Reversal after Pregnancy : Younger Brains at 4–6 Weeks Postpartum
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Neuroscience. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4522 .- 1873-7544. ; 386, s. 309-314
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pregnancy is accompanied by complex biological adaptations, including extreme hormonal fluctuations. Moreover, changes on the endocrine level are accompanied by changes in cerebral anatomy, such as reductions in brain or gray matter volume. Since declining brain and tissue volumes are characteristic for normal aging, the question arises of whether such pregnancy-induced anatomical effects are permanent or transient. To answer this question, we acquired high-resolution brain image data of 14 healthy women in their mid-twenties to late thirties at two time points: within 1–2 days of childbirth (early postpartum) and at 4–6 weeks after childbirth (late postpartum). At both time points, we estimated the brain ages for each woman using a well-validated machine learning approach based on pattern recognition. Ultimately, this algorithm – designed to identify anatomical correlates of age across the entire brain – reveals a single score for each individual: the BrainAGE index. Comparing the BrainAGE indices between both time points, female brains at late postpartum were estimated to be considerably younger than at early postpartum. On average, that difference was about five years (mean ± SD: 5.4 ± 2.4 years). These findings suggest a substantial restoration/rejuvenation effect after giving birth, which is evident already within the first couple of months.
|
|
| 9. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
Significant increases of the amygdala between immediate and late postpartum : Pronounced effects within the superficial subregion
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neuroscience Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0360-4012 .- 1097-4547. ; 99:9, s. 2261-2270
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research exploring the underlying neuroanatomical correlates of early motherhood seems to suggest that the period after giving birth is marked by tissue increases in the mother's brain. While some studies point to the amygdala as one of the areas undergoing postpartum changes, existing analyses did not discriminate between the different subregions of this functionally heterogeneous structure. Thus, to further extend this understudied field of research and to better understand the potential role of the amygdala when transitioning to motherhood, we applied an advanced region-of-interest technique that enabled us to analyze the amygdala as a whole as well as its different subareas, specifically the left and right centromedian (CM), laterobasal (LB), and superficial (SF) regions. Comparing the brains of 14 healthy women between immediate postpartum (within 1-2 days of childbirth) and late postpartum (at 4-6 weeks after childbirth), we revealed increases of the amygdala. However, effects manifested differentially across subareas, with particularly strong effects for the SF region, moderate effects for the CM region, and no effects for the LB region. These findings might reflect region-specific adaptations of the mother's brain tuning into the distinct and ever-changing needs of a newborn, either as a cause for it or as a consequence thereof.
|
|
| 10. |
- Luders, Eileen, et al.
(författare)
-
The neuroanatomy of pregnancy and postpartum
- 2022
-
Ingår i: NeuroImage. - : Elsevier. - 1053-8119 .- 1095-9572. ; 263
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pregnancy and giving birth are exceptional states in a woman's life for many reasons. While the effects of preg-nancy and childbirth on the female body are obvious, less is known about their impact on the female brain, especially in humans. The scientific literature is still sparse but we have identified 12 longitudinal neuroimag-ing studies conducted in women whose brains were scanned before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and/or after giving birth. This review summarizes and discusses the reported neuroanatomical changes during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. Some studies suggest that pregnancy is mainly associated with tissue decreases, and a few studies suggest that this tissue loss is mostly permanent. In contrast, the majority of studies seems to indicate that the postpartum period is accompanied by substantial tissue increases throughout the entire brain. Future research is clearly warranted to replicate and extend the current findings, while addressing various limitations and shortcomings of existing studies.
|
|
