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. 2007 Jul 15;36(4):1065-73.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.03.053. Epub 2007 Apr 6.

Sexual dimorphism of brain developmental trajectories during childhood and adolescence

Rhoshel K Lenroot  1 , Nitin Gogtay, Deanna K Greenstein, Elizabeth Molloy Wells, Gregory L Wallace, Liv S Clasen, Jonathan D Blumenthal, Jason Lerch, Alex P Zijdenbos, Alan C Evans, Paul M Thompson, Jay N Giedd
Affiliations

Sexual dimorphism of brain developmental trajectories during childhood and adolescence

Rhoshel K Lenroot et al. Neuroimage. .

Abstract

Human total brain size is consistently reported to be approximately 8-10% larger in males, although consensus on regionally specific differences is weak. Here, in the largest longitudinal pediatric neuroimaging study reported to date (829 scans from 387 subjects, ages 3 to 27 years), we demonstrate the importance of examining size-by-age trajectories of brain development rather than group averages across broad age ranges when assessing sexual dimorphism. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we found robust male/female differences in the shapes of trajectories with total cerebral volume peaking at age 10.5 in females and 14.5 in males. White matter increases throughout this 24-year period with males having a steeper rate of increase during adolescence. Both cortical and subcortical gray matter trajectories follow an inverted U shaped path with peak sizes 1 to 2 years earlier in females. These sexually dimorphic trajectories confirm the importance of longitudinal data in studies of brain development and underline the need to consider sex matching in studies of brain development.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scatterplot of longitudinal measurements of total brain volume for males (N = 475 scans, shown in dark blue) and females (N = 354 scans, shown in red).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean volume by age in years for males (N = 475 scans) and females (N = 354 scans). Middle lines in each set of three lines represent mean values, and upper and lower lines represent upper and lower 95% confidence intervals. All curves differed significantly in height and shape with the exception of lateral ventricles, in which only height was different, and mid-sagittal area of the corpus callosum, in which neither height nor shape were different. (a) Total brain volume, (b) Gray matter volume, (c) White matter volume, (d) Lateral ventricle volume, (e) Mid-sagittal area of the corpus callosum, (f) Caudate volume
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gray matter subdivisions. (a) Frontal lobe, (b) Parietal lobe, (c) Temporal lobe, (d) Occipital lobe
Figure 4
Figure 4
White matter subdivisions. (a) Frontal lobe, (b) Parietal lobe, (c) Temporal lobe, (d) Occipital lobe
Figure 5
Figure 5
Change in brain volume (cc) every six months for (a) Total brain volume, (b) Gray matter, (c) White matter, (d) Frontal lobe gray matter. Positive values represent increasing volume and negative values loss of volume.
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