scholarly journals Sex disparities in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders: Insights from large-scale neuroimaging

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Salminen ◽  
Meral Tubi ◽  
Joanna Bright ◽  
Paul Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Neuroimaging Genetics

Sex differences are found in the incidence and expression of psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions, and many studies suggest these differences are influenced by innate biological differences between males and females and risk factors that interact with these differences. However, few studies have used neuroimaging to examine brain signatures of disease separately by sex, and many studies of sex differences have been based on small samples and their findings have not been replicated in larger cohorts. Large-scale neuroimaging initiatives such as the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analyses (ENIGMA) consortium, the UK Biobank, Human Connectome Project, and others offer an unprecedented source of power to address important questions about the role of sex as a risk or protective factor for suboptimal brain health, as well as sex-specific neuroimaging phenotypes in brain-related illnesses. Here we review the existing neuroimaging literature on sex differences in the human brain in healthy adults and those with the most common and debilitating psychiatric and age-related neurodegenerative conditions. Finally, we discuss key gaps in this literature and opportunities of large-scale collaborative efforts to identify, characterize, and explain how biological sex influences the humanbrain in health and disease.

scholarly journals Hippocampal volume across age: Nomograms derived from over 19,700 people in UK Biobank

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Nobis ◽  
Sanjay G. Manohar ◽  
Stephen M. Smith ◽  
Fidel Alfaro-Almagro ◽  
Mark Jenkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Volume Status ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Uk

AbstractMeasurement of hippocampal volume has proven useful to diagnose and track progression in several brain disorders, most notably in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For example, an objective evaluation of a patient’s hippocampal volume status may provide important information that can assist diagnosis or risk stratification of AD. However, clinicians and researchers require access to age-related normative percentiles to reliably categorise a patient’s hippocampal volume as being pathologically small. Here we analysed effects of age, sex, and hemisphere on the hippocampus and neighbouring temporal lobe volumes, in 19,793 generally healthy participants in the UK Biobank. A key finding of the current study is a significant acceleration in the rate of hippocampal volume loss in middle age, more pronounced in females than in males. In this report, we provide normative values for hippocampal and total grey matter volume as a function of age for reference in clinical and research settings. These normative values may be used in combination with our online, automated percentile estimation tool to provide a rapid, objective evaluation of an individual’s hippocampal volume status. The data provide a large-scale normative database to facilitate easy age-adjusted determination of where an individual hippocampal and temporal lobe volume lies within the normal distribution.

scholarly journals Handedness measures for the Human Connectome Project: Implications for data analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lana Ruck ◽  
P. Thomas Schoenemann
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Hand Preference ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
Self Report Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Work

AbstractOpen data initiatives such as the UK Biobank and Human Connectome Project provide researchers with access to neuroimaging, genetic, and other data for large samples of left-and right-handed participants, allowing for more robust investigations of handedness than ever before. Handedness inventories are universal tools for assessing participant handedness in these large-scale neuroimaging contexts. These self-report measures are typically used to screen and recruit subjects, but they are also widely used as variables in statistical analyses of fMRI and other data. Recent investigations into the validity of handedness inventories, however, suggest that self-report data from these inventories might not reflect hand preference/performance as faithfully as previously thought. Using data from the Human Connectome Project, we assessed correspondence between three handedness measures – the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI), the Rolyan 9-hole pegboard, and grip strength – in 1179 healthy subjects. We show poor association between the different handedness measures, with roughly 10% of the sample having at least one behavioral measure which indicates hand-performance bias opposite to the EHI score, and over 65% of left-handers having one or more mismatched handedness scores. We discuss implications for future work, urging researchers to critically consider direction, degree, and consistency of handedness in their data.

scholarly journals Large-scale Phenomic and Genomic Analysis of Brain Asymmetrical Skew

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang-Zhen Kong ◽  
Merel Postema ◽  
Amaia Carrión Castillo ◽  
Antonietta Pepe ◽  
Fabrice Crivello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe human cerebral hemispheres show a left-right asymmetrical torque pattern, which has been claimed to be absent in chimpanzees. The functional significance and developmental mechanisms are unknown. Here we carried out the largest-ever analysis of global brain shape asymmetry in magnetic resonance imaging data. Three population datasets were used, the UK Biobank (N = 39,678), Human Connectome Project (N = 1,113) and BIL&GIN (N = 453). At the population level, there was an anterior and dorsal skew of the right hemisphere, relative to the left. Both skews were associated independently with handedness, and various regional grey and white matter metrics oppositely in the two hemispheres, as well as other variables related to cognitive functions, sociodemographic factors, and physical and mental health. The two skews showed SNP-based heritabilities of 4-13%, but also substantial polygenicity in causal mixture model analysis, and no individually significant loci were found in GWAS for either skew. There was evidence for a significant genetic correlation (rg=−0.40, p=0.0075) between horizontal brain skew and Autism Spectrum Disorder. These results provide the first large-scale description of population-average brain skews and their inter-individual variations, their replicable associations with handedness, and insights into biological and other factors which associate with human brain asymmetry.

Sex, crime and society

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (S2) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Heidensohn
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Recent Survey ◽  
Care And Treatment ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Sex Crime

The relation between sex and crime is an important and significant one. Broadly speaking, recorded criminality varies notably according to sex, being at a much higher level among males than females. It is men who are largely responsible for the planning and execution of large-scale crimes such as robberies. Serious recidivism, which presents such a problem in terms of penal care and treatment, is almost exclusively a masculine phenomenon—in a recent survey of crime in the UK, the incidence of serious recidivism amongst women is not even calculated (McClintock & Avison, 1968). The study of sex differences in criminality should, then, illuminate our knowledge of crime and its aetiology; it should also tell us something about sex differences in society in general.

scholarly journals Neuroanatomical Norms in the UK Biobank: The Impact of Allometric Scaling, Sex, and Age.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille WILLIAMS ◽  
Hugo Peyre ◽  
Roberto Toro ◽  
Franck Ramus
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Common Property ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Few neuroimaging studies are sufficiently large to adequately describe population-wide variations. This study's primary aim was to generate neuroanatomical norms and individual markers that consider age, sex, and brain size, from 629 cerebral measures in the UK Biobank (N = 40 028). The secondary aim was to examine the effects and interactions of sex, age, and brain allometry - the non-linear scaling relationship between a region and brain size (e.g., Total Brain Volume) across cerebral measures. Allometry was a common property of brain volumes, thicknesses, and surface areas (83%) and was largely stable across age and sex. Sex differences occurred in 67% of cerebral measures (median |std. beta|= 0.13): 37% of regions were larger in males and 30% in females. Brain measures (49%) generally decreased with age, although aging effects varied across regions and sexes. While models with an allometric or linear covariate adjustment for brain size yielded similar significant effects, omitting brain allometry influenced reported sex differences in variance. This large scale-study advances our understanding of age, sex, and brain allometry's impact on brain structure and provides data for future UK Biobank studies to identify the cerebral regions that covary with specific phenotypes, independently of sex, age, and brain size.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard
Keyword(s):  
School System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sociocultural Adaptation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
German School ◽  
Transcultural Adaptation

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

Identification of and Correction for Publication Bias: Comment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Kvarven ◽  
Eirik Strømland ◽  
Magnus Johannesson
Keyword(s):  
Publication Bias ◽  
False Positive ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
False Positive Rate ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Moderate Reduction ◽  
Positive Rate ◽  
Meta Analyses

Andrews & Kasy (2019) propose an approach for adjusting effect sizes in meta-analysis for publication bias. We use the Andrews-Kasy estimator to adjust the result of 15 meta-analyses and compare the adjusted results to 15 large-scale multiple labs replication studies estimating the same effects. The pre-registered replications provide precisely estimated effect sizes, which do not suffer from publication bias. The Andrews-Kasy approach leads to a moderate reduction of the inflated effect sizes in the meta-analyses. However, the approach still overestimates effect sizes by a factor of about two or more and has an estimated false positive rate of between 57% and 100%.

The traditional sexual script and humor in courtship

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-218
Author(s):  
Elaina M. Ross ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Ambivalent Sexism ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Sexual Script ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Sex Influence ◽  
Potential Partner

AbstractTo account for sex differences in the production, receptivity, and preference for humor in potential mates during courtship, past research has often adopted an evolutionary approach. The present manuscript will attempt to integrate evolutionary explanations with proximal social and cultural influences using the traditional sexual script and ambivalent sexism theory. The results of both Study 1 (N=227) and Study 2 (N=424) suggest that trait masculinity is positively associated with humor production in courtship, while trait femininity is associated with humor receptivity. Study 1 indicated that the traditional flirting style was associated with less humor production by women, and Study 2 indicated that hostile sexism was related to a lower preference for a humor-producing potential partner by men. A sex difference in humor production in potential partners in Study 2 was no longer detectable once trait gender and hostile sexism was accounted for. Taken together, gender roles, over and above biological sex, influence one’s own humor use in courtship and preference for humor in potential partners.

Origin and distribution of dolomite in Permian Rotliegend siliciclastic sandstones (Dutch Southern Permian Basin)

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 1055-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolaas Molenaar ◽  
Marita Felder
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Advective Flow ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Carbonate Cement ◽  
Thin Section Petrography ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Pressure Dissolution ◽  
Dolomite Cement ◽  
Detrital Carbonate

ABSTRACT Dolomite is a common and volumetrically important mineral in many siliciclastic sandstones, including Permian Rotliegend sandstones (the Slochteren Formation). These sandstones form extensive gas reservoirs in the Southern Permian Basin in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and the UK. The reservoir quality of these sandstones is negatively influenced by the content and distribution of dolomite. The origin and the stratigraphic distribution of the dolomite is not yet fully understood. The aim of this study is to identify the origin of carbonate. The main methods used to achieve those aims are a combination of thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and EDX), and XRD analyses. The present study shows that the typical dispersed occurrence of the dolomite is a consequence of dispersed detrital carbonate grains that served both as nuclei and source for authigenic dolomite cement. The dolomite cement formed syntaxial outgrowths and overgrowths around detrital carbonate grains. The study also shows that dolomite cement, often in combination with ankerite and siderite, precipitated during burial after mechanical compaction. Most of the carbonate grains consisted of dolomite before deposition. The carbonate grains were affected by compaction and pressure dissolution, and commonly have no well-defined outlines anymore. The distribution of dolomite cement in the Rotliegend sandstones was controlled by the presence of stable carbonate grains. Due to the restricted and variable content of carbonate grains and their dispersed occurrence, the cement is also dispersed and the degree of cementation heterogeneous. Our findings have important implications on diagenesis modeling. The presence of detrital carbonate excludes the need for external supply by any large-scale advective flow of diagenetic fluids. By knowing that the carbonate source is local and related to detrital grains instead of being externally derived from an unknown source, the presence of carbonate cement can be linked to a paleogeographic and sedimentological model.

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