OBJECTIVE: To investigate the longitudinal relationship between pituitary gland volume (PGV) and parameters of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) functioning during adolescence. METHODS: Participants were 49 adolescents (19 girls and 30 boys) selected from a larger longitudinal, population-based study of adolescent development. Assessments were conducted at three time points (S1, S2 and S3). MRI sessions were at S1 (age: M=12.62, SD=0.45 years) and S3 (M=16.48, SD=0.53 years) and multiple assessments of salivary cortisol were undertaken at S2 (M=15.51, SD=0.35 years). PGV was measured via previously validated manual tracing methods, and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal slope (DSL) were used as indices of HPAA functioning. RESULTS: A significant sex-linked interaction was found for PGV at S1 predicting both CAR (p=0.025) and DSL (p=0.009) at S2. Specifically, PGV at S1 significantly predicted CAR (p=0.033) and DSL (p=0.010) in boys only, with no significant results found for girls. Neither CAR nor DSL at S2 predicted growth of PGV from S1 to S3. CONCLUSIONS: PGV in early adolescence predicted HPAA functioning in mid-adolescent boys but not in girls. The results suggest a significant influence of sex-specific development on the relationship between PGV and HPAA activity and reactivity. The findings have potential implications for understanding and interpreting sex-linked and stress related clinical disorders that emerge during mid-to-late adolescence.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the longitudinal relationship between pituitary gland volume (PGV) and parameters of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) functioning during adolescence. METHODS:Participants were 49 adolescents (19 girls and 30 boys) selected from a larger longitudinal, population-based study of adolescent development. Assessments were conducted at three time points (S1, S2 and S3). MRI sessions were at S1 (age: M=12.62, SD=0.45 years) and S3 (M=16.48, SD=0.53 years) and multiple assessments of salivary cortisol were undertaken at S2 (M=15.51, SD=0.35 years). PGV was measured via previously validated manual tracing methods, and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal slope (DSL) were used as indices of HPAA functioning. RESULTS: A significant sex-linked interaction was found for PGV at S1 predicting both CAR (p=0.025) and DSL (p=0.009) at S2. Specifically, PGV at S1 significantly predicted CAR (p=0.033) and DSL (p=0.010) in boys only, with no significant results found for girls. Neither CAR nor DSL at S2 predicted growth of PGV from S1 to S3. CONCLUSIONS: PGV in early adolescence predicted HPAA functioning in mid-adolescent boys but not in girls. The results suggest a significant influence of sex-specific development on the relationship between PGV and HPAA activity and reactivity. The findings have potential implications for understanding and interpreting sex-linked and stress related clinical disorders that emerge during mid-to-late adolescence.
Authors: J G Simmons; O S Schwartz; K Bray; C Deane; E Pozzi; S Richmond; J Smith; N Vijayakumar; M L Byrne; M L Seal; M B H Yap; N B Allen; S L Whittle Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2017-06-30 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Julian G Simmons; Sarah L Whittle; George C Patton; Paul Dudgeon; Craig Olsson; Michelle L Byrne; Lisa K Mundy; Marc L Seal; Nicholas B Allen Journal: BMC Pediatr Date: 2014-04-30 Impact factor: 2.125
Authors: Gamze Akkus; Sinan Sözütok; Fulya Odabaş; Bilen Onan; Mehtap Evran; Barış Karagun; Murat Sert; Tamer Tetiker Journal: Curr Med Imaging Date: 2021