Relationships between adrenarcheal hormones, hippocampal volumes and depressive symptoms in children

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Rachel EllisSarah Whittle

Abstract

Early timing of puberty (i.e., advanced pubertal maturation relative to same-age peers) has been associated with depressive symptoms during adolescence. To date, research on this relationship has focused on gonadarche, the second phase of puberty, while less is known about the first phase of puberty, adrenarche. Increasing evidence suggests that androgens that rise during adrenarche, most notably dehyrdoepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone, may be involved both in the development of the hippocampus, and risk for depression. The current study investigated whether hippocampal volumes mediated the relationship between adrenarcheal timing (based on relative levels of adrenarcheal hormones) and depressive symptoms in children. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 88 children (46 female) selected to have relatively increased variance in these androgens. Participants completed brain MRI structural scans, provided saliva samples for hormones, and completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Contrary to predictions, larger right hippocampi significantly partially mediated the positive relationship between early timing of testosterone exposure (i.e., relatively high levels of testosterone for one's age) and dep...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 26, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Deanna M BarchJoan L Luby
Mar 21, 2020·Frontiers in Endocrinology·Benjamin Campbell
Jun 4, 2020·Biology of Sex Differences·Katherine E Kight, Margaret M McCarthy
Jan 19, 2021·Biological Psychology·Marieke S TollenaarCarolina de Weerth

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