Impact of Sex and Gonadal Steroids on Neonatal Brain Structure
Open accessAbstract
There are numerous reports of sexual dimorphism in brain structure in children and adults, but data on sex differences in infancy are extremely limited. Our primary goal was to identify sex differences in neonatal brain structure. Our secondary goal was to explore whether brain structure was related to androgen exposure or sensitivity. Two hundred and ninety-three neonates (149 males) received high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans. Sensitivity to androgen was measured using the number of cytosine, adenine, guanine (CAG) triplets in the androgen receptor gene and the ratio of the second to fourth digit, provided a proxy measure of prenatal androgen exposure. There was a significant sex difference in intracranial volume of 5.87%, which was not related to CAG triplets or digit ratios. Tensor-based morphometry identified extensive areas of local sexual dimorphism. Males had larger volumes in medial temporal cortex and rolandic operculum, and females had larger volumes in dorsolateral prefrontal, motor, and visual cortices. Androgen exposure and sensitivity had minor sex-specific effects on local gray matter volume, but did not appear to be the primary determinant of sexual dimorphism at this age. Comparing our study with the existing literature suggests that sex differences in cortical structure vary in a complex and highly dynamic way across the human lifespan.
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Interactions between experience-dependent processes and gene expression further modify or refine primary functional circuits for more efficient signal processing and action generation.
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From Imaging structural and functional brain development in early childhood (2018) · cites this paper as [120]
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- Authors
- Knickmeyer, R. C., Wang, J., Zhu, H., Geng, X., Woolson, S., Hamer, R. M., Konneker, T., Styner, M., & Gilmore, J. H.
- Affiliations
- University of North Texas (US)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Knickmeyer, R. C.
- Venue
- Cerebral Cortex
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-05-19
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 2721-2731
- ISSN
- 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2199
- PMC
- PMC4153808
- OpenAlex
- W2155603541
- Cited by
- 109
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 1.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Funders
- Autism Speaks
- National Institutes of Health (HD 03110, MH070890, EB005149, MH064065, RR025747, MH086633)
- National Institute on Aging (AG033387, R21AG033387)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH064065, MH091645, MH070890, P50MH064065, MH083045, MH086633, R01MH086633, R01MH091645, K01MH083045)
- National Cancer Institute (P01CA142538)
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (EB-005149, U54EB005149)
- National Center for Research Resources (RR 025747, UL1RR025747)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (#HD03110, P30HD003110)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Keywords
- sex differences, sexual dimorphism, androgen exposure, androgen receptor gene, CAG repeat polymorphism, 2D:4D digit ratio, intracranial volume, gray matter volume, cortical thickness, medial temporal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, rolandic operculum, sex steroids, infancy
- MeSH terms
- Androgens, Brain, Female, Fingers, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Receptors, Androgen, Sex Characteristics, Gonadal Steroid Hormones
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