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Gray Matter Variations in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

Poster No:

1715

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Florian Kurth¹, Debra Spencer², Christian Gaser¹, Melissa Hines², Eileen Luders³

Institutions:

¹University of Jena, Jena, Germany, ²University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, ³The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

First Author:

Florian Kurth
University of Jena
Jena, Germany

Co-Author(s):

Debra Spencer
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Christian Gaser
University of Jena
Jena, Germany

Melissa Hines
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Eileen Luders
The University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

Introduction:

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) has been shown to present with gray matter aberrations, but further research is required as the results of existing studies are inconsistent. These inconsistences might be due to small sample sizes, differences in sample composition (some studies only included females), or the spatial scale of the analysis (some studies focused on selected regions of interest).

Methods:

Here we compiled the largest CAH sample to date comprising 33 women and 20 men matched to 33 control women and 20 control men on sex, age, education, and verbal intelligence. Gray matter was examined with a voxel-wise regional specificity across the entire brain, assessing the main effects of CAH and sex, and the CAH-by-sex interaction (the latter reflecting effects of prenatal androgen exposure).

Results:

As shown in Figure 1, individuals with CAH had significantly less gray matter compared to controls within the amygdala, calcarine cortex (specifically the primary visual area), and parahippocampal cortex (specifically the subiculum). As shown in Figure 2, there also was a main effect of sex, with more gray matter in females than males in medial frontal regions and more gray matter in males than females within the cerebellum. There was no CAH-by-sex interaction.

·Significant main effects of CAH. Less gray matter in individuals with CAH compared to controls.

·Significant main effects of sex. More gray matter in females compared to males (red clusters) as well as more gray matter in males compared to females (blue clusters).

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate less regional gray matter in individuals with CAH, which seems to be caused by the medical condition itself and/or its treatment with glucocorticoids, rather than by excess prenatal androgen exposure.

Lifespan Development:

Lifespan Development Other ²

Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:

Cortical Anatomy and Brain Mapping ¹

Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:

Anatomical MRI

Keywords:

Computational Neuroscience

Congenital

Cortex

MRI

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

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Structural MRI

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