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Cited by 252Sex and Gender in HealthcareAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsSexual Differentiation and Disorders

Novel findings from 2,838 Adult Brains on Sex Differences in Gray Matter Brain Volume

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Lotze, Martin, Domin, Martin, Gerlach, Florian H., Gaser, Christian, Lueders, Eileen, Schmidt, Carsten O., Neumann, Nicola·2019·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-38239-2PMC PMC6368548
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Abstract

There is still disagreement among studies with respect to the magnitude, location, and direction of sex differences of local gray matter volume (GMV) in the human brain. Here, we applied a state-of-the-art technique examining GMV in a well-powered sample (n = 2,838) validating effects in two independent general-population cohorts, age range 21–90 years, measured using the same MRI scanner. More GMV in women than in men was prominent in medial and lateral prefrontal areas, the superior temporal sulcus, the posterior insula, and orbitofrontal cortex. In contrast, more GMV in men than in women was detected in subcortical temporal structures, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, temporal pole, fusiform gyrus, visual primary cortex, and motor areas (premotor cortex, putamen, anterior cerebellum). The findings in this large-scale study may clarify previous inconsistencies and contribute to the understanding of sex-specific differences in cognition and behavior.

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  • Structural differences in gray matter morphometry in the medial temporal lobe were found in a cross-sectional MRI study of 27 adolescents with CAH.

    “Structural differences in gray matter morphometry in the medial temporal lobe were found in a cross-sectional MRI study of 27 adolescents with CAH (695).”

    From Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia—Current Insights in Pathophysiology, Diagnostics, and Management (2022) · cites this paper as [695]

    The Results (Combined Cohort, Table 2; page unavailable) report gray-matter-volume differences in medial temporal regions, including the parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus. But Methods and Materials (Sample and Imaging; page unavailable) describes an adult cohort aged 21–90, not a study of 27 adolescents with CAH. The cited paper therefore supports the anatomical finding only in a different population. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Young people with classic CAH had smaller regional volumes in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus and overall smaller brain volumes compared to age-matched controls.

    “Young people with classic CAH had smaller regional volumes in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus and overall smaller brain volumes compared to age-matched controls.”

    From Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia—Current Insights in Pathophysiology, Diagnostics, and Management (2022) · cites this paper as [695]

    The Methods (Sample and Imaging; page unavailable) describe adults aged 21–90, and the Results (Combined Cohort; page unavailable) compare brain volumes between men and women. Searches for classic CAH, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and age-matched controls found no passage addressing brain volumes in young people with CAH. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lotze, M., Domin, M., Gerlach, F. H., Gaser, C., Lueders, E., Schmidt, C. O., & Neumann, N.
Affiliations
Universitätsmedizin Greifswald (DE)
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-02-08
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
1671-1671
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-018-38239-2
PMC
PMC6368548
OpenAlex
W2914619606
Cited by
252
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 73 · 2019: 7
FWCI
37.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (393148499)
  • Universität Greifswald (393148499)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
Keywords
sex differences, gray matter volume, brain structure, prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, posterior insula, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, temporal pole, fusiform gyrus, motor areas, general population, brain aging
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Sex Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult, Gray Matter

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