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Sex differences in brain may underlie neurodevelopmental disorders more common in males

Date:
December 10, 2015
Source:
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Summary:
Female infants have larger gray-matter volumes than males around the temporal-parietal junction of the brain, research shows. This brain region is important for processing of social information that is expressed in others' faces and voices, a function that is impaired in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), possibly helping to explain the higher risk for certain forms of ASD in males.
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Many early-onset neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, are more common in males than females. The origin of this gender bias is not understood, partially due to a major gap in research on sex differences regarding how the brain typically develops. According to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, female infants have larger volumes of gray matter around the temporal-parietal junction of the brain than males at the time of birth. The temporal-parietal junction, or TP, which is found under the temporal bones near the ears, integrates the processing of social information as expressed in others' faces and voices, a function that is impaired in those with autism spectrum disorders. Sex differences in this area of the brain may be a clue as to why males are at higher risk for certain forms of autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Rebecca Knickmeyer's group at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has been characterizing sex differences in brain development in a group of over 800 normal newborns, who are assessed until they are 2 years old, using brain imaging and measures of sex hormones in saliva.

Another main finding in Dr. Knickmeyer's work is that by the age of two, myelination of long fiber tracks in the brain is more developed in males than in females. Myelination is the development of an insulating myelin sheath around nerves so that they are able to transmit information more quickly. Dr. Knickmeyer has also shown that a genetic disorder that only occurs in females -- Turner Syndrome, which is marked by the partial or complete loss of one of the two X sex chromosomes that females have, also involves a significant decrease in brain volume in inferior parietal lobes (just above the TPJ). This suggests that inferior parietal lobe volume can be influenced, at least in females, by sex chromosomes.


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Materials provided by American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


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American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. "Sex differences in brain may underlie neurodevelopmental disorders more common in males." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 December 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151210181645.htm>.
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. (2015, December 10). Sex differences in brain may underlie neurodevelopmental disorders more common in males. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151210181645.htm
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. "Sex differences in brain may underlie neurodevelopmental disorders more common in males." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151210181645.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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