Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106.
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106
J Neurosci. 2024 Sep 18;44(38):e0573242024. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0573-24.2024.
Circadian, infradian, and seasonal changes in steroid hormone secretion have been tied to changes in brain volume in several mammalian species. However, the relationship between circadian changes in steroid hormone production and rhythmic changes in brain morphology in humans is largely unknown. Here, we examined the relationship between diurnal fluctuations in steroid hormones and multiscale brain morphology in a precision imaging study of a male who completed 40 MRI and serological assessments at 7 A.M. and 8 P.M. over the course of a month, targeting hormone concentrations at their peak and nadir. Diurnal fluctuations in steroid hormones were tied to pronounced changes in global and regional brain morphology. From morning to evening, total brain volume, gray matter volume, and cortical thickness decreased, coincident with decreases in steroid hormone concentrations (testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol). In parallel, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricle size increased from A.M. to P.M. Global changes were driven by decreases within the occipital and parietal cortices. These findings highlight natural rhythms in brain morphology that keep time with the diurnal ebb and flow of steroid hormones.
昼夜节律、超昼夜节律和季节性的类固醇激素分泌变化与几种哺乳动物的大脑体积变化有关。然而，在人类中，类固醇激素产生的昼夜变化与大脑形态的节律性变化之间的关系在很大程度上尚不清楚。在这里，我们在一项精密成像研究中检查了类固醇激素的昼夜波动与男性多尺度脑形态之间的关系，该男性在一个月的时间内完成了 40 次 MRI 和血清学评估，在上午 7 点和晚上 8 点针对激素浓度的峰值和低谷进行了评估。类固醇激素的昼夜波动与全球和区域脑形态的显著变化有关。从早晨到晚上，总脑体积、灰质体积和皮质厚度减少，与类固醇激素浓度（睾酮、雌二醇和皮质醇）的降低相一致。与此同时，脑脊液和脑室大小从上午到下午增加。这些发现强调了与类固醇激素昼夜消长保持同步的大脑形态的自然节律。
