Peper Jiska S, Brouwer Rachel M, Schnack Hugo G, van Baal G Caroline M, van Leeuwen Marieke, van den Berg Stéphanie M, Delemarre-Van de Waal Henriëtte A, Janke Andrew L, Collins D Louis, Evans Alan C, Boomsma Dorret I, Kahn René S, Hulshoff Pol Hilleke E
Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2008 Aug;33(7):909-15. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.017. Epub 2008 Jul 21.
Puberty is a period in which cerebral white matter grows considerably, whereas gray matter decreases. The first endocrinological marker of puberty in both boys and girls is an increased secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH). Here we investigated the phenotypic association between LH, global and focal gray and white matter in 104 healthy nine-year-old monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Volumetric MRI and voxel-based morphometry were applied to measure global gray and white matter and to estimate relative concentrations of regional cerebral gray and white matter, respectively. A possible common genetic origin of this association (genetic correlation) was examined. Results showed that higher LH levels are associated with a larger global white matter proportion and with higher regional white matter density. Areas of increased white matter density included the cingulum, middle temporal gyrus and splenium of the corpus callosum. No association between LH and global gray matter proportion or regional gray matter density was found. Our data indicate that a common genetic factor underlies the association between LH level and regional white matter density. We suggest that the increase of white matter growth during puberty reported earlier might be directly or indirectly mediated by LH production. In addition, genes involved in LH production may be promising candidate genes in neuropsychiatric illnesses with an onset in early adolescence.
青春期是大脑白质大量生长而灰质减少的时期。男孩和女孩青春期的首个内分泌学标志物是促黄体生成素（LH）分泌增加。在此，我们研究了104名健康9岁同卵和异卵双胞胎中LH、全脑及局部灰质和白质之间的表型关联。应用容积磁共振成像（MRI）和基于体素的形态测量法分别测量全脑灰质和白质，并估计局部脑区灰质和白质的相对浓度。我们检验了这种关联可能的共同遗传起源（遗传相关性）。结果显示，较高的LH水平与更大的全脑白质比例以及更高的局部白质密度相关。白质密度增加的区域包括扣带、颞中回和胼胝体压部。未发现LH与全脑灰质比例或局部灰质密度之间存在关联。我们的数据表明，LH水平与局部白质密度之间的关联存在一个共同的遗传因素。我们认为，先前报道的青春期白质生长增加可能直接或间接由LH分泌介导。此外，参与LH分泌的基因可能是青春期早期发病的神经精神疾病中有前景的候选基因。
