Developmental variation in testosterone:cortisol ratio alters cortical- and amygdala-based cognitive processes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jimin Lew ◽  
Sherri Lee Jones ◽  
Christina Caccese ◽  
Isobel Orfi ◽  
Charlotte Little ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Structure ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Developmental Variation ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Amygdala Volume ◽  
And Function ◽  
Somatosensory Areas

Abstract Testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) are the end products of neuroendocrine axes that interact with the process of shaping brain structure and function. Relative levels of T:C (TC ratio) may alter prefrontal–amygdala functional connectivity in adulthood. What remains unclear is whether TC-related effects are rooted to childhood and adolescence. We used a healthy cohort of 4–22-year-olds to test for associations between TC ratios, brain structure (amygdala volume, cortical thickness (CTh), and their coordinated growth), as well as cognitive and behavioral development. We found greater TC ratios to be associated with the growth of specific brain structures: 1) parietal CTh; 2) covariance of the amygdala with CTh in visual and somatosensory areas. These brain parameters were in turn associated with lower verbal/executive function and higher spatial working memory. In sum, individual TC profiles may confer a particular brain phenotype and set of cognitive strengths and vulnerabilities, prior to adulthood.

scholarly journals Can exercise make our children smarter?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nenad Stojiljković ◽  
Petar Mitić ◽  
Goran Sporiš
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Purpose. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of exercise on the brain structure and function in children, and to analyze methodological approach applied in the researches of this topic. Methods. This literature review provides an overview of important findings in this fast growing research domain. Results from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and interventional studies of the influence of exercise on the brain structure and function of healthy children are reviewed and discussed. Results. The majority of researches are done as cross sectional studies based on the exploring correlation between the level of physical activity and characteristics of brain structure and function. Results of the studies indicate that exercise has positive correlation with improved cognition and beneficial changes to brain function in children. Physically active children have greater white matter integrity in several white matter tracts (corpus callosum, corona radiata, and superior longitudinal fasciculus), have greater volume of gray matter in the hippocampus and basal ganglia than their physically inactive counterparts. The longitudinal/interventional studies also showed that exercise (mainly aerobic) improve cognitive performance of children and causes changes observed on functional magnetic resonance imaging scans (fMRI) located in prefrontal and parietal regions. Conclusion. Previous researches undoubtable proved that exercise can make positive changes of the brain structures in children, specifically the volume of the hippocampus which is the center of learning and memory. Finally the researchers agree that the most influential type of exercise on changes of brain structure and functions are the aerobic exercises. 

scholarly journals Beyond Bilingualism: multilingual experience correlates with caudate volume

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Hervais-Adelman ◽  
Natalia Egorova ◽  
Narly Golestani
Keyword(s):  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Caudate Nuclei ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Left Caudate ◽  
Language Control ◽  
And Function

AbstractThe multilingual brain implements mechanisms that serve to select the appropriate language as a function of the communicative environment. Engaging these mechanisms on a regular basis appears to have consequences for brain structure and function. Studies have implicated the caudate nuclei as important nodes in polyglot language control processes, and have also shown structural differences in the caudate nuclei in bilingual compared to monolingual populations. However, the majority of published work has focused on the categorical differences between monolingual and bilingual individuals, and little is known about whether these findings extend to multilingual individuals, who have even greater language control demands. In the present paper, we present an analysis of the volume and morphology of the caudate nuclei, putamen, pallidum and thalami in 75 multilingual individuals who speak three or more languages. Volumetric analyses revealed a significant relationship between multilingual experience and right caudate volume, as well as a marginally-significant relationship with left caudate volume. Vertex-wise analyses revealed a significant enlargement of dorsal and anterior portions of the left caudate nucleus, known to have connectivity with executive brain regions, as a function of multilingual expertise. These results suggest that multilingual expertise might exercise a continuous impact on brain structure, and that as additional languages beyond a second are acquired, the additional demands for linguistic and cognitive control result in modifications to brain structures associated with language management processes.

Early-Life Stress: From Neuroendocrine Mechanisms to Stress-Related Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiota Pervanidou ◽  
George P. Chrousos
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life Stress ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Stress System ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Neuroendocrine Mechanisms ◽  
And Function

Stress exposure is highly prevalent in the general population; however, the experience of stress during vulnerable periods of development has substantial and permanent effects on brain structure and function and physical health in adulthood. Stress, the state of threatened homeostasis, is generally associated with a time-limited activation of the stress system, i.e., the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the arousal/sympathetic nervous system, tailored to the stressful stimulus also known as the stressor. On the other hand, chronic stress may be associated with lingering hyper- or hyposecretion of mediators of the stress system. This chronic condition is called dyshomeostasis, allostasis, or cacostasis and is associated with increased mental and physical morbidity in the long term. Stressful or traumatic experiences during fetal life, early childhood, and adolescence have been related to persistent neuroendocrine and epigenetic changes. Further, brain structures involved in the stress response, such as those of the stress system, the hippocampus, and the amygdala, may be programmed early on for a life of adversity.

Effects Of Exercise-induced Hypohydration On Brain Structure And Function, A MRI Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (5S) ◽  
pp. 824 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. r. Tan ◽  
Ivan C. C. Low ◽  
Mary C. Stephenson ◽  
T. Kok ◽  
Heinrich W. Nolte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Exercise Induced ◽  
Mri Study ◽  
And Function

Effects of low-level sarin and cyclosarin exposure and Gulf War Illness on Brain Structure and Function: A study at 4T

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 814-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda L. Chao ◽  
Linda Abadjian ◽  
Jennifer Hlavin ◽  
Deiter J. Meyerhoff ◽  
Michael W. Weiner
Keyword(s):  
Brain Structure ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

Sex Steroids and Human Behavior: Implications for Developmental Psychopathology

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerianne M. Alexander ◽  
Bradley S. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Atypical Development ◽  
And Function

AbstractIn a variety of mammalian species, prenatal androgens organize brain structures and functions that are later activated by steroid hormones in postnatal life. In humans, studies of individuals with typical and atypical development suggest that sex differences in reproductive and nonreproductive behavior derive in part from similar prenatal and postnatal steroid effects on brain development. This paper provides a summary of research investigating hormonal influences on human behavior and describes how sex differences in the prevalences and natural histories of developmental psychopathologies may be consistent with these steroid effects. An association between patterns of sexual differentiation and specific forms of psychopathology suggests novel avenues for assessing the effects of sex steroids on brain structure and function, which may in turn improve our understanding of typical and atypical development in women and men.

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