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. 2024 Dec 27;24(1):949.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06428-1.

Gender differences of neurometabolic and neuroendocrine alternations and its lateralization in adolescents with major depressive disorder

Xiaodong Song #  1 , Shuya Yan #  1 , Shunkai Lai #  1 , Yiliang Zhang  1 , Ying Wang  2 , Jiali He  1 , Dong Huang  1 , Jianzhao Zhang  1 , Xiaodan Lu  1 , Guanmao Chen  2 , Pan Chen  2 , Qilin Zhong  1 , Rongxu Zhang  1 , Yangyu Wu  1 , Jie Yin  1 , Shuming Zhong  3 , Yanbin Jia  4
Affiliations

Gender differences of neurometabolic and neuroendocrine alternations and its lateralization in adolescents with major depressive disorder

Xiaodong Song et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The clinical characteristics of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents show notable gender-related differences, but the cause of these differences is still not understood. The current research concentrates on the changes in neurometabolism and neuroendocrine function, aiming to identify differences in endocrine function and brain metabolism between male and female adolescents with MDD.

Methods: A total of 121 teenagers diagnosed with MDD (43 males and 78 females) were enlisted as participants. Measurement was conducted on levels of endocrine hormones, which included free tri-iodothyronine (FT3), total tri-iodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxin (FT4), total thyroxin (TT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), cortisol, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Obtained through 1H-MRS, the N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and choline containing compounds (Cho) to creatine (Cr) ratios were acquired for the prefrontal whiter matter (PWM), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), basal ganglia (BG), thalamus, and cerebellum.

Result: After adjusting for multiple comparisons, female adolescents with MDD showed lower ACTH levels compared to their male counterparts. An increased lateralization index (LI) was observed in female patients for both the thalamic Cho/Cr ratio and the basal ganglia NAA/Cr ratio. Additionally, an intriguing finding was that in male adolescent patients, TT4 levels were significantly correlated with the Cho/Cr ratio in the left cerebellum. However, no such correlation between hormones and brain metabolism was found in females.

Conclusions: Gender differences in endocrine and neurometabolic abnormalities may contribute to the gender-specific pathophysiology of MDD in adolescent patients. Metabolic abnormalities and lateralization changes are observed in different brain regions for male and female MDD patients.

Keywords: Adolescents; Biochemical abnormalities; Lateralization; Major depressive disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China (Ethics approval reference number:KY-2022–199); all subjects signed a written informed consent form. Not all or part of this information is published elsewhere; the manuscript has not yet been considered for publication in any other journal; all the authors have personally and actively participated in the actual work of the manuscript and will bear the common and individual responsibility for their content. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Voxel Localization
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Correlation between TT4 and Left Cerebellum Cho/Cr Ratios in the Male Group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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