Sex differences in ADHD

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina U. Greven ◽  
Jennifer S. Richards ◽  
Jan K. Buitelaar
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Neurocognitive Functioning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Endocrine Factors ◽  
And Function ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

This chapter reviews sex differences in ADHD, focusing on differences in prevalence, comorbidity, and impairment, and discusses potential mechanisms underlying these differences. ADHD is more common in males than females (sex ratio ~3:1). Males with ADHD show greater comorbidity with comorbid externalizing (conduct) problems, while females with ADHD show internalizing problems. Females with ADHD may experience greater subjective impairment than males with ADHD. Referral and diagnostic issues, relating to sex-specific display of ADHD symptoms (more overt and disruptive in males, more subtle in females), underdiagnosis, or misdiagnosis in girls, as well as biases due to informant source, likely contribute to sex differences in ADHD. Potential biological mechanisms include endocrine factors (testosterone, glucocorticoids, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation differences), aetiological sex differences (sex-chromosome genes), sex differences in neurocognitive functioning, and differences in brain structure and function. The chapter provides an outlook for future research and clinical implications.

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.

scholarly journals Normative range parenting and the developing brain: a scoping review of the literature

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Farber ◽  
Dylan Gee ◽  
Ahmad R. Hariri
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

Studies of early adversity such as trauma, abuse, and neglect highlight the critical importance of quality caregiving in brain development and mental health. However, the impact of normative range variability in caregiving on such biobehavioral processes remains poorly understood. Thus, we lack an essential foundation for understanding broader, population-representative developmental mechanisms of risk and resilience. Here, we conduct a scoping review of the extant literature centered on the question, “Is variability in normative range parenting associated with variability in brain structure and function?” After removing duplicates and screening by title, abstract, and full-text, 23 records were included in a qualitative review. The most striking outcome of this review was not only how few studies have explored associations between brain development and normative range parenting, but also how little methodological consistency exists across published studies. In light of these limitations, we propose recommendations for future research on normative range parenting and brain development. In doing so, we hope to facilitate evidence-based research that will help inform policies and practices that yield optimal developmental trajectories and mental health.

The Neural Circuitry and Neurocognitive Development

2016 ◽  
pp. 284-298
Author(s):  
Reagan R. Wetherill ◽  
Susan F. Tapert
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fiber Architecture ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Functional Implications ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Asynchronous Maturation ◽  
Adolescent Brain Development

This chapter focuses on adolescent brain development and associated functional implications. We focus on changes in brain tissue composition, fiber architecture and circuitry, and neurochemistry and discuss how these maturational processes affect adolescent brain functioning, sleep, cognition, and behaviors. Given the substantial developments that occur during adolescence, the effects of puberty and sex hormones on brain structure and function are reviewed, and literature on the effects of substance use on the adolescent brain are covered. The chapter reports on recent neuroimaging studies suggesting that atypical and/or asynchronous maturation patterns may contribute to adolescents’ proclivity for risk taking, heightened emotionality, and the emergence of psychopathology. Finally, future research opportunities are discussed.

scholarly journals Beyond sex differences: new approaches for thinking about variation in brain structure and function

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1688) ◽  
pp. 20150451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphna Joel ◽  
Anne Fausto-Sterling
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Sex And Gender ◽  
Sex Effects ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

In the study of variation in brain structure and function that might relate to sex and gender, language matters because it frames our research questions and methods. In this article, we offer an approach to thinking about variation in brain structure and function that pulls us outside the sex differences formulation. We argue that the existence of differences between the brains of males and females does not unravel the relations between sex and the brain nor is it sufficient to characterize a population of brains. Such characterization is necessary for studying sex effects on the brain as well as for studying brain structure and function in general. Animal studies show that sex interacts with environmental, developmental and genetic factors to affect the brain. Studies of humans further suggest that human brains are better described as belonging to a single heterogeneous population rather than two distinct populations. We discuss the implications of these observations for studies of brain and behaviour in humans and in laboratory animals. We believe that studying sex effects in context and developing or adopting analytical methods that take into account the heterogeneity of the brain are crucial for the advancement of human health and well-being.

What is the impact of genome-wide supported risk variants for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder on brain structure and function? A systematic review

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 2461-2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Gurung ◽  
D. P. Prata
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

The powerful genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed common mutations that increase susceptibility for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), but the vast majority were not known to be functional or associated with these illnesses. To help fill this gap, their impact on human brain structure and function has been examined. We systematically discuss this output to facilitate its timely integration in the psychosis research field; and encourage reflection for future research. Irrespective of imaging modality, studies addressing the effect of SZ/BD GWAS risk genes (ANK3, CACNA1C, MHC, TCF4, NRGN, DGKH, PBRM1, NCANandZNF804A) were included. Most GWAS risk variations were reported to affect neuroimaging phenotypes implicated in SZ/BD: white-matter integrity (ANK3andZNF804A), volume (CACNA1CandZNF804A) and density (ZNF804A); grey-matter (CACNA1C, NRGN, TCF4andZNF804A) and ventricular (TCF4) volume; cortical folding (NCAN) and thickness (ZNF804A); regional activation during executive tasks (ANK3, CACNA1C, DGKH, NRGNandZNF804A) and functional connectivity during executive tasks (CACNA1CandZNF804A), facial affect recognition (CACNA1CandZNF804A) and theory-of-mind (ZNF804A); but inconsistencies and non-replications also exist. Further efforts such as standardizing reporting and exploring complementary designs, are warranted to test the reproducibility of these early findings.

scholarly journals Sexual Differentiation and Substance Use: A Mini-Review

Endocrinology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 161 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J Harp ◽  
Mariangela Martini ◽  
Wendy J Lynch ◽  
Emilie F Rissman
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Chromosome Complement ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Four Core Genotype

Abstract The organizational/activational hypothesis suggests that gonadal steroid hormones like testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) are important at 2 different times during the lifespan when they perform 2 different functions. First steroids “organize” brain structures early in life and during puberty, and in adults these same hormones “activate” sexually dimorphic behaviors. This hypothesis has been tested and proven valid for a large number of behaviors (learning, memory, social, and sexual behaviors). Sex differences in drug addiction are well established both for humans and animal models. Previous research in this field has focused primarily on cocaine self-administration by rats. Traditionally, observed sex differences have been explained by the sex-specific concentrations of gonadal hormones present at the time of the drug-related behavior. Studies with gonadectomized rodents establishes an activational role for E2 that facilitates vulnerability in females, and when E2 is combined with progesterone, addiction is attenuated. Literature on organizational actions of steroids is sparse but predicts that T, after it is aromatized to E2, changes aspects of the neural reward system. Here we summarize these data and propose that sex chromosome complement also plays a role in determining sex-specific drug-taking behavior. Future research is needed to disentangle the effects of hormones and sex chromosome complement, and we propose the four core genotype mouse model as an effective tool for answering these questions.

Sex Differences in Cognition: The New Rise of Biologism

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-5
Author(s):  
Lesley J. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Environmental Stimulation ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

AbstractCurrently there is an increase in the number of articles published in scientific journals and in the popular scientific media that claim a biological basis for sex differences in cognition and in certain structures in the brain. It can be argued that there is over-emphasis on the differences rather than similarities between the sexes, but it is even more important to question the assumed causation of the differences. This paper discusses recent evidence for an interactive role of early experience and hormonal condition in determining sex differences in brain structure and function. Although early studies using rats were thought to show that the male sex hormone, testosterone, acts on the brain in early life to direct its differentiation into either the male or female form, it is know known that this result comes about indirectly by changing the mother’s behaviour towards the pups. The hormone does not act on the brain directly but rather it alters the environment in which the young animals are rasied and this, in turn, influences the development of the brain. Indeed, the brain is in dynamic register with its environment both during development and in adulthood. Other examples also show that old ideas of rigid biological determination of brain structure and function need to be laid aside.The hypotheses for hormonal causation of sex differences humans rely heavily, if not exclusively, on the earlier interpretation of the experiments with rats, and there seems to be resistance to changing these notions based on the new discoveries. Apparently, there is strong pressure to cling on to biological determinist theories for sex differences in behaviour, and this has profound effects on social and educational policy. For example, biological determinism has been used to justify under representation of women in certain professions. Realisation of the dramatic effects that environmental stimulation and learning can have on the development of brain and behaviour leads us to an optimistic position for social change towards equality for women.

scholarly journals Nutrition and neurodevelopment: mechanisms of developmental dysfunction and disease in later life

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Dauncey ◽  
R. J. Bicknell
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Drug Exposure ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Early Nutrition ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
Randomized Intervention ◽  
And Function

AbstractNutrition plays a central role in linking the fields of developmental neurobiology and cognitive neuroscience. It has a profound impact on the development of brain structure and function and malnutrition can result in developmental dysfunction and disease in later life. A number of diseases, including schizophrenia, may be related to neurodevelopmental insults such as malnutrition, hypoxia, viruses or in utero drug exposure. Some of the most significant findings on nutrition and neurodevelopment during the last three decades, and especially during the last few years, are discussed in this review. Attention is focused on the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms by which diet exerts its effects. Randomized intervention studies have revealed important effects of early nutrition on later cognitive development, and recent epidemiological findings show that both genetics and environment are risk factors for schizophrenia. Particularly important is the effect of early nutrition on development of the hippocampus, a brain structure important in establishing learning and memory, and hence for cognitive performance. A major aim of future research should be to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying nutritionally-induced impairment of neurodevelopment and specifically to determine the mechanisms by which early nutritional experience affects later cognitive performance. Key research objectives should include: (1) increased understanding of mechanisms underlying the normal processes of ageing and neurodegenerative disorders; (2) assessment of the role of susceptibility genes in modulating the effects of early nutrition on neurodevelopment; and (3) development of nutritional and pharmaceutical strategies for preventing and/or ameliorating the adverse effects of early malnutrition on long-term programming.

Effects of early adverse experiences on brain structure and function: clinical implications

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 778-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Kaufman ◽  
Paul M Plotsky ◽  
Charles B Nemeroff ◽  
Dennis S Charney
Keyword(s):  
Brain Structure ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Function
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