Sex differences in thickness, and folding developments throughout the cortex

Mutlu, A Kadir; Schneider, Maude; Debbané, Martin; Badoud, Deborah Myriam; Eliez, Stéphan; Schaer, Marie

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.076

Scientific article

English

Sex differences in thickness, and folding developments throughout the cortex

Contributors

Mutlu, A Kadir; Schneider, Maude

; Debbané, Martin; Badoud, Deborah Myriam; Eliez, Stéphan

; Schaer, Marie

Published in

NeuroImage, vol. 82C, p. 200-207

Publication date

2013

Abstract

While significant differences in male and female brain structures have commonly been reported, only a few studies have focused on the sex differences in the way the cortex matures over time. Here, we investigated cortical thickness maturation between the age of 6 to 30years, using 209 longitudinally-acquired brain MRI scans. Significant sex differences in the trajectories of cortical thickness change with age were evidenced using non-linear mixed effects models. Similar statistical analyses were computed to quantify the differences between cortical gyrification changes with age in males and females. During adolescence, we observed a statistically significant higher rate of cortical thinning in females compared to males in the right temporal regions, the left temporoparietal junction and the left orbitofrontal cortex. This finding is interpreted as a faster maturation of the social brain areas in females. Concomitantly, statistically significant sex differences in cortical folding changes with age were observed only in one cluster of the right prefrontal regions, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying cortical thickness and gyrification changes with age are quite distinct. Sexual dimorphism in the developmental course of the cortical maturation may be associated with the different age of onset and clinical presentation of many psychiatric disorders between males and females.

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

MUTLU, A Kadir et al. Sex differences in thickness, and folding developments throughout the cortex. In: NeuroImage, 2013, vol. 82C, p. 200–207. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.076

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

PID : unige:29201
DOI : 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.076
PMID : 23721724

Journal ISSN

1053-8119

920views

1999downloads

Creation

06/08/2013 14:50:00

First validation

06/08/2013 14:50:00

Update

13/10/2025 23:28:02

Status update

14/03/2023 20:22:12

Last indexation

01/09/2026 08:20:32

Sex differences in thickness, and folding developments throughout the cortex

Contributors

Published in

Publication date

Abstract

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

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Journal ISSN

Technical informations

Creation

First validation

Update

Status update

Last indexation