Correspondence Between Perceived Pubertal Development and Hormone Levels in 9-10 Year-Olds From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

AimTo examine individual variability between perceived physical features and hormones of pubertal maturation in 9–10-year-old children as a function of sociodemographic characteristics.MethodsCross-sectional metrics of puberty were utilized from the baseline assessment of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study—a multi-site sample of 9–10 year-olds (n = 11,875)—and included perceived physical features via the pubertal development scale (PDS) and child salivary hormone levels (dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone in all, and estradiol in females). Multi-level models examined the relationships among sociodemographic measures, physical features, and hormone levels. A group factor analysis (GFA) was implemented to extract latent variables of pubertal maturation that integrated both measures of perceived physical features and hormone levels.ResultsPDS summary scores indicated more males (70%) than females (31%) were prepubertal. Perceived physical features and hormone levels were significantly associated with child’s weight status and income, such that more mature scores were observed among children that were overweight/obese or from households with low-income. Results from the GFA identified two latent factors that described individual differences in pubertal maturation among both females and males, with factor 1 driven by higher hormone levels, and factor 2 driven by perceived physical maturation. The correspondence between latent factor 1 scores (hormones) and latent factor 2 scores (perceived physical maturation) revealed synchronous and asynchronous relationships between hormones and concomitant physical features in this large young adolescent sample.ConclusionsSociodemographic measures were associated with both objective hormone and self-report physical measures of pubertal maturation in a large, diverse sample of 9–10 year-olds. The latent variables of pubertal maturation described a complex interplay between perceived physical changes and hormone levels that hallmark sexual maturation, which future studies can examine in relation to trajectories of brain maturation, risk/resilience to substance use, and other mental health outcomes.

Download Full-text

Self-rated Tanner stage and subjective measures of puberty are associated with longitudinal gonadal hormone changes

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1515/jpem-2019-0017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 569-576 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ben W.R. Balzer ◽

Frances L. Garden ◽

Mazen Amatoury ◽

Georgina M. Luscombe ◽

Karen Paxton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Serum Testosterone ◽

Tanner Stage ◽

Self Report ◽

Gonadal Hormone ◽

Community Based ◽

Hormone Levels ◽

Tanner Staging ◽

Large Community

Abstract Introduction In large community-based studies of puberty, Tanner staging by a clinician is often not possible. We compared self-rated Tanner staging and other subjective ratings of pubertal development with serum hormone levels measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to reassess the utility of self-rated pubertal stage using highly sensitive and specific hormone analysis. Methods Adolescents and their parents enrolled in the Adolescent Rural Cohort study of Hormones and health, Education, environments and Relationships (ARCHER) answered annual survey questions on pubertal development. Annually, adolescents provided blood samples for serum testosterone and estradiol measured by LC-MS/MS. Results Longitudinally, self-rated Tanner stage was positively associated with serum testosterone and estradiol levels in both sexes. Confirmation by adolescent and parent that puberty had commenced was associated with higher gonadal hormone levels in both sexes. Parent and adolescent responses demonstrated ‘fair’ to ‘moderate’ agreement. Conclusions Over a 3-year follow-up, self-rated Tanner staging and simple questions regarding pubertal onset and development are positively associated with adolescent gonadal hormone concentrations in serum measured by mass spectrometry. Thus, self-report of puberty stage still has a role in large community-based studies where physical examination is not feasible.

Download Full-text

Characterization of pubertal development of girls in rural Bangladesh

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0247762

Author(s):

Jinhee Hur ◽

Kerry J. Schulze ◽

Andrew L. Thorne-Lyman ◽

Lee S.-F. Wu ◽

Saijuddin Shaikh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hair Growth ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Pubic Hair ◽

Self Report ◽

Breast Development ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Probit Regression ◽

Pubertal Maturation ◽

Rural Bangladesh ◽

Age Related

This study aimed to describe the timing and patterns of pubertal maturation of girls living in rural Bangladesh. Starting in September 2015, a total of 15,320 girls from a birth cohort, aged 9 to 15 years at initial encounter, were visited twice at about a one year interval, typically in their birth month. Participants were asked to self-report extent of pubertal maturation, including breast development, pubic hair growth and age at menarche, if applicable. Pubertal stage (abbreviated as B2 and B3-4 for breast development and PH2 and PH3-4 for pubic hair growth) was assigned. Data from both visits were pooled, yielding a total of 29,377 age-related observations per pubertal characteristic. Probit regression models were used to estimate distributions of age at which each stage of pubertal development was attained. Before age 8, <3% of the study population initiated pubertal maturation as indicated by onset of breast development (B2). The median (95% confidence interval) age of B2 and B3-4 was 11.02 (11.00–11.04) and 12.82 (12.80–12.83) years, respectively; and 12.93 (12.91–12.94) and 14.29 (14.27–14.31) years for the onset (PH2) and advanced stage (PH3-4) of pubic hair growth, respectively. Median age at menarche was 13.17 (13.15–13.19) years, with 2.15 years of timespan from B2 to menarche. Girls in rural Bangladesh progressed through puberty following a well-documented sequence of sexual maturation stages. The age at which each pubertal milestone took place was somewhat later, but the tempo from breast development to menarche was comparable to that observed elsewhere. Our findings present a current norm of pubertal maturation in a typical, rural adolescent population in South Asia, which could help inform future studies and interventions to preserve or improve early adolescent health and development.

Download Full-text

Sleep maturation influences cognitive development of preterm toddlers

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95495-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Akiko Ando ◽

Hidenobu Ohta ◽

Yuko Yoshimura ◽

Machiko Nakagawa ◽

Yoko Asaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Sleep Time ◽

Brain Maturation ◽

Sleep Diary ◽

Sleep Regulation ◽

Wake Time ◽

Daytime Nap ◽

Nighttime Sleep ◽

The Relationship

AbstractOur recent study on full-term toddlers demonstrated that daytime nap properties affect the distribution ratio between nap and nighttime sleep duration in total sleep time but does not affect the overall total amount of daily sleep time. However, there is still no clear scientific consensus as to whether the ratio between naps and nighttime sleep or just daily total sleep duration itself is more important for healthy child development. In the current study, to gain an answer to this question, we examined the relationship between the sleep properties and the cognitive development of toddlers born prematurely using actigraphy and the Kyoto scale of psychological development (KSPD) test. 101 premature toddlers of approximately 1.5 years of age were recruited for the study. Actigraphy units were attached to their waist with an adjustable elastic belt for 7 consecutive days and a child sleep diary was completed by their parents. In the study, we found no significant correlation between either nap or nighttime sleep duration and cognitive development of the preterm toddlers. In contrast, we found that stable daily wake time was significantly associated with better cognitive development, suggesting that sleep regulation may contribute to the brain maturation of preterm toddlers.

Download Full-text

Feasibility of Race by Sex Intersectionality Research on Suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

Children ◽

10.3390/children8060437 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 437

Author(s):

Shervin Assari ◽

Shanika Boyce ◽

Mohsen Bazargan

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Sample Size ◽

Child Behavior Checklist ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Self Report ◽

Large Sample Size ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cronbach Alpha ◽

Rich Data ◽

Suicidal Ideas

Intersectional research on childhood suicidality requires studies with a reliable and valid measure of suicidality, as well as a large sample size that shows some variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the feasibility of intersectionality research on childhood suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We specifically explored the reliability and validity of the measure, sample size, and variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Methods: We used cross-sectional data (wave 1) from the ABCD study, which sampled 9013 non-Hispanic white (NHW) or non-Hispanic black (NHB) children between the ages of 9 and 10 between years 2016 and 2018. Four intersectional groups were built based on race and sex: NHW males (n = 3554), NHW females (n = 3158), NHB males (n = 1164), and NHB females (n = 1137). Outcome measure was the count of suicidality symptoms, reflecting all positive history and symptoms of suicidal ideas, plans, and attempts. To validate our measure, we tested the correlation between our suicidality measure and depression and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) sub-scores. Cronbach alpha was calculated for reliability across each intersectional group. We also compared groups for suicidality. Results: We observed some suicidality history in observed 3.2% (n = 101) of NHW females, 4.9% (n = 175) of NHW males, 5.4% (n = 61) of NHB females, and 5.8% (n = 68) of NHB males. Our measure’s reliability was acceptable in all race by sex groups (Cronbach alpha higher than .70+ in all intersectional groups). Our measure was valid in all intersectional groups, documented by a positive correlation with depression and CBCL sub-scores. We could successfully model suicidality across sex by race groups, using multivariable models. Conclusion: Given the high sample size, reliability, and validity of the suicidality measure, variability of suicidality, it is feasible to investigate correlates of suicidality across race by sex intersections in the ABCD study. We also found evidence of higher suicidality in NHB than NHW children in the ABCD study. The ABCD rich data in domains of social context, self-report, schools, parenting, psychopathology, personality, and brain imaging provides a unique opportunity to study intersectional differences in neural circuits associated with youth suicidality.

Download Full-text

Passive Sensing of Preteens’ Smartphone Use: An Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Cohort Substudy (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29426 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Natasha Wade ◽

Joseph M Ortigara ◽

Ryan M Sullivan ◽

Rachel L Tomko ◽

Florence J Breslin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Accurate Determination ◽

Parent Report ◽

Objective Measurement ◽

Self Report ◽

Objective Data ◽

Passive Sensing ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

The Impact ◽

Screen Use

BACKGROUND Concerns abound regarding childhood smartphone use, but studies to date have largely relied on self-reported screen use. Self-reporting of screen use is known to be misreported by pediatric samples and their parents, limiting the accurate determination of the impact of screen use on social, emotional, and cognitive development. Thus, a more passive, objective measurement of smartphone screen use among children is needed. OBJECTIVE This study aims to passively sense smartphone screen use by time and types of apps used in a pilot sample of children and to assess the feasibility of passive sensing in a larger longitudinal sample. METHODS The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study used passive, objective phone app methods for assessing smartphone screen use over 4 weeks in 2019-2020 in a subsample of 67 participants (aged 11-12 years; 31/67, 46% female; 23/67, 34% White). Children and their parents both reported average smartphone screen use before and after the study period, and they completed a questionnaire regarding the acceptability of the study protocol. Descriptive statistics for smartphone screen use, app use, and protocol feasibility and acceptability were reviewed. Analyses of variance were run to assess differences in categorical app use by demographics. Self-report and parent report were correlated with passive sensing data. RESULTS Self-report of smartphone screen use was partly consistent with objective measurement (<i>r</i>=0.49), although objective data indicated that children used their phones more than they reported. Passive sensing revealed the most common types of apps used were for streaming (mean 1 hour 57 minutes per day, SD 1 hour 32 minutes), communication (mean 48 minutes per day, SD 1 hour 17 minutes), gaming (mean 41 minutes per day, SD 41 minutes), and social media (mean 36 minutes per day, SD 1 hour 7 minutes). Passive sensing of smartphone screen use was generally acceptable to children (43/62, 69%) and parents (53/62, 85%). CONCLUSIONS The results of passive, objective sensing suggest that children use their phones more than they self-report. Therefore, use of more robust methods for objective data collection is necessary and feasible in pediatric samples. These data may then more accurately reflect the impact of smartphone screen use on behavioral and emotional functioning. Accordingly, the ABCD study is implementing a passive sensing protocol in the full ABCD cohort. Taken together, passive assessment with a phone app provided objective, low-burden, novel, informative data about preteen smartphone screen use. CLINICALTRIAL

Download Full-text

Health, Developmental, and Nutritional Status of Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Abusers

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.79.2.218 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 218-223

Author(s):

James A. Farrow ◽

Jane M. Rees ◽

Bonnie S. Worthington-Roberts

Keyword(s):

Liver Function ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

General Health ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Self Report ◽

Dietary History ◽

Chemical Abuse ◽

The Impact

The impact of alcohol and marijuana abuse on the physical health and nutritional status of adolescents has not been well documented. The health consequences of alcoholism and chemical abuse in adults may not relate to the pediatric population. Forty-nine adolescent boys (mean age 15.8 years) with varying degrees of alcohol and marijuana use by self-report were evaluated as to their general health, pubertal development and nutritional status using health and dietary history, physical examination, anthropometrics, and biochemical assays of liver function and tissue nutrients. Thirteen (27%) were alcohol and marijuana abusers, 20 (41%) marijuana abusers, and 16 (32%) nonusers. There were significant differences between alcohol and marijuana abusers and marijuana abusers compared to nonusers with respect to endorsing symptoms of nutritional deficiency (muscle weakness, bleeding gums, tiredness, etc) (P < .001). There were no significant differences between subgroups in other nutritional measures except plasma zinc concentration which was low in marijuana abusers (mean 85µg/dL). All adolescents reported consuming adequate nutrients, although alcohol and marijuana abusers reported eating more snack foods and less fruit, vegetables, and milk than other groups. There were no significant differences in hemotologic status (complete blood cell count, transferrin, folate), liver function (γ-glutamyltranspeptidase), or anthropometric and sexual maturational indices of growth. There were no chronic signs of chemical abuse by physical examinations. It appears that health and nutritional disability from chemical abuse in adolescents relates more to poor dietary habits and symptomatic deterioration in general health than to specific effects on growth or nutritional status. Studies with larger numbers of subjects need to document these findings.

Download Full-text

Timing of pubertal development and midlife blood pressure in men and women: A Mendelian randomization study

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/clinem/dgab561 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Io Ieong Chan ◽

Man Ki Kwok ◽

C Mary Schooling

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Mendelian Randomization ◽

Association Studies ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Age At Menarche ◽

Genome Wide Association Studies ◽

Genetic Associations ◽

Pubertal Maturation ◽

Pubertal Growth

Abstract Introduction Observational studies suggest earlier puberty is associated with higher adulthood blood pressure (BP), but these findings have not been replicated using Mendelian randomization (MR). We examined this question sex-specifically using larger genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with more extensive measures of pubertal timing. Methods We obtained genetic instruments proxying pubertal maturation (age at menarche (AAM) or voice breaking (AVB)) from the largest published GWAS. We applied them to summary sex-specific genetic associations with systolic and diastolic BP z-scores, and self-reported hypertension in women (n=194174) and men (n=167020) from the UK Biobank, using inverse-variance weighting meta-analysis. We conducted sensitivity analyses using other MR methods, including multivariable MR adjusted for childhood obesity proxied by body mass index (BMI). We used late pubertal growth as a validation outcome. Results AAM (beta per one-year later = -0.030 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.055, -0.005] and AVB (beta -0.058 [95% CI -0.100, -0.015]) were inversely associated with systolic BP independent of childhood BMI, as were diastolic BP (-0.035 [95% CI -0.060, -0.009] for AAM and -0.046 [95% CI -0.089, -0.004] for AVB) and self-reported hypertension (odds ratios 0.89 [95% CI 0.84, 0.95] for AAM and 0.87 [95% CI 0.79, 0.96] for AVB). AAM and AVB were positively associated with late pubertal growth, as expected. The results were robust to sensitivity analysis using other MR methods. Conclusion Timing of pubertal maturation was associated with adulthood BP independent of childhood BMI, highlighting the role of pubertal maturation timing in midlife BP.

Download Full-text

Towards a novel marker of insulin resistance in obesity: S100A4 in girls along the puberty. The longitudinal study “PUBMEP”

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665120005959 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽

Author(s):

Augusto Anguita-Ruiz ◽

Andrea Méndez-Gutierrez ◽

Azahara I. Ruperez ◽

Rosaura Leis ◽

Gloria Bueno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insulin Resistance ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Pubertal Development ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Adult Women ◽

Metabolic Risk ◽

Pubertal Maturation ◽

S100a4 Protein

AbstractIntroduction:Insulin resistance (IR) is the major driver for the development of obesity-associated metabolic and cardiovascular complications. It is well known that IR increase physiologically during puberty; hence, pubertal maturation might favour this metabolic risk in obese children. Recently, a study carried out in adult women with obesity has identified a new adipokine, known as S100A4, strongly associated with IR and inflammation in adipose tissue. On the contrary, little is known about the implication of S100A4 in the development of such metabolic disturbances during the onset and course of pubertal development.Materials and methods:A longitudinal study was conducted on 53 Spanish girls distributed in six experimental conditions according to their obesity and IR status (before (T0) and after (T1) the onset of puberty). Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were evaluated in all samples and time points. Classification of pubertal stage was made according to the Tanner scale. S100A4 protein levels were quantified by ELISA CSB-EL02032HU in plasma samples (Cusabio Biotech, Wuhan, China). The statistical analysis of the results was carried out with the “nlme” package in R v3.4.4, using a mixed-effects linear model with random intercept and slope.Results:At a significance level of alpha = 0.05, a linear mixed-effects model reported a significant association (P = 0.03) between the interaction term “time*experimental group” and S100A4 levels. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons between experimental groups revealed a strong association between a worsening/improvement of the IR status and the increase/decrease of S100A4 levels (yielding significant results for 5 of the 15 comparisons (P = 0.008, P = 0.04, P = 0.02, P = 0.04 and P = 0.02)). Furthermore, a multiple linear regression model reported a positive correlation between the increase in S100A4 levels and the increase in HOMA values during the course of puberty (B = 6.03, SE = 2.66 and P = 0.028).Discussion:The S100A4 protein is strongly associated with the development of IR in girls with childhood obesity and this association is accentuated during pubertal development. Increase in S100A4 levels could be one of the molecular mechanisms by which pubertal maturation favour an increased metabolic risk in children with obesity.

Download Full-text

Heritability of Testosterone Levels in 12-Year-Old Twins and Its Relation to Pubertal Development

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.9.4.558 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 558-565 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Rosa A. Hoekstra ◽

Meike Bartels ◽

Dorret I. Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Pubertal Development ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Pubic Hair ◽

Self Report ◽

Early Puberty ◽

Salivary Testosterone ◽

Testosterone Levels ◽

Genital Development ◽

Opposite Sex ◽

Hair Development

AbstractThe aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of variation in testosterone levels in 12-year-old children, and to explore the overlap in genetic and environmental influences on circulating testosterone levels and androgen-dependent pubertal development. Midday salivary testosterone samples were collected on 2 consecutive days in a sample of 183 unselected twin pairs. Androgen-induced pubertal development was assessed using self-report Tanner scales of pubic hair development (boys and girls) and genital development (boys). A significant contribution of genetic effects to the variance in testosterone levels was found. Heritability was approximately 50% in both boys and girls. The remaining proportion of the variance in testosterone levels could be explained by nonshared environmental influences. The relatively high correlation between testosterone levels of opposite-sex dizygotic twins suggests that sex differences in genes influencing variation in testosterone levels have not yet developed in preand early puberty. Variance in pubertal development was explained by a large genetic component, moderate shared environmental influences, and a small nonshared environmental effect. Testosterone levels correlated moderately (r = .31) with pubertal development; the covariance between testosterone levels and pubertal development was entirely accounted for by genetic influences.

Download Full-text