Cortical and metabolic brain development during pubertal hormone suppression
Abstract
Abstract Suppression of pubertal hormonal signaling may alter trajectories of cortical development. However, the neurobiological effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa), including triptorelin, which are used in adolescents with gender dysphoria, remain largely unresolved. Here, we investigated how pubertal endocrine suppression influences brain development using a longitudinal in vivo translational model in which animals received long-acting triptorelin from pubertal onset and were followed with structural magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion imaging, and ex vivo 1 H HR-MAS spectroscopy. Triptorelin maintained testosterone at prepubertal levels and was associated with attenuated bilateral neocortical volume growth despite unchanged total brain volume. Diffusion imaging showed increased diffusivity indices consistent with altered microstructural maturation. In triptorelin-treated animals, long-term treatment produced coordinated metabolic changes, including reduced creatine and glutamine levels; multivariate analyses further identified creatine, glutamine, glutamate, and myoinositol as key contributors to group differentiation. Together, these findings provide multimodal evidence that pubertal endocrine suppression reshapes cortical developmental trajectories and offers a translational framework for interpreting structural and functional neuroimaging findings in adolescents undergoing GnRHa treatment.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Biportal endoscopic versus microscopic lumbar decompressive laminectomy in patients with spinal stenosis: A randomized controlled trial
- A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial
- Supplement-based nutritional strategies to tackle frailty: A multifactorial, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept trial of creatine monohydrate as adjunctive treatment for bipolar depression
- Creatine supplementation (3 g/day) and bone health in older women: a 2-year, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- A Multi-Ingredient Nutritional Supplement in Combination With Resistance Exercise and High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Cognitive Function and Increases N-3 Index in Healthy Older Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.