SDAN, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2011 May;14(4):445-57. doi: 10.1017/S1461145710001136. Epub 2010 Sep 22.
Major questions remain about how sex hormones influence human brain development and cognition. Studies in humans and animals suggest a strong impact of androgen on the structure and function of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and striatum. Using voxel-based morphometry (DARTEL), we compared MTL and striatal structures in 13 [mean age (±S.D.) 12.7±3.2 yr, mean bone age 14.8±3.2 yr] boys with familial male precocious puberty (FMPP), characterized by early excess androgen secretion, and 39 healthy age-matched boys (mean age 14.3±2.5 yr). The FMPP group showed significantly larger grey-matter volume (GMV) in parahippocampal and fusiform gyri as well as putamen relative to controls. By comparison, larger GMV for controls relative to patients was only apparent in the precentral gyrus. Exploratory regression analyses that examined the impact of age on the current findings revealed a significant increase of GMV in the putamen with age in patients suffering from excess androgen but not in controls. Finally, current levels of free testosterone were obtained in the patient group. Analyses revealed a significant negative association indicating that FMPP boys with low levels of bioavailable testosterone exhibited high GMV in the bilateral striatum. The findings suggest a critical influence of androgen on human brain development and are discussed in relation to male-dominant psychiatric childhood disorders.
关于性激素如何影响人类大脑发育和认知，仍存在许多重大问题。人类和动物研究表明，雄激素对内侧颞叶（MTL）和纹状体的结构和功能有强烈影响。我们使用基于体素的形态测量学（DARTEL），比较了 13 名（平均年龄（±标准差）12.7±3.2 岁，平均骨龄 14.8±3.2 岁）患有家族性男性性早熟（FMPP）的男孩和 39 名年龄匹配的健康男孩（平均年龄 14.3±2.5 岁）的 MTL 和纹状体结构。与对照组相比，FMPP 组的海马旁回和梭状回以及壳核的灰质体积（GMV）明显更大。相比之下，对照组相对于患者的 GMV 更大，仅在前中央回明显。检查年龄对当前发现影响的探索性回归分析显示，在雄激素过多的患者中，GMV 在壳核中随年龄显著增加，但在对照组中则不然。最后，在患者组中获得了当前的游离睾酮水平。分析显示出显著的负相关关系，表明生物可利用睾酮水平低的 FMPP 男孩在双侧纹状体中具有较高的 GMV。这些发现表明雄激素对人类大脑发育有重要影响，并结合男性为主的儿童期精神障碍进行了讨论。
