Zheng Wang1,2, Jian Bo Hu1,2, Gong Jun Ji3, Dong Rong Xu4, Dan Dan Wang1,2, Cai Xi Xi1,2, Chan Chan Hu1,2, Jing Lu1,2, Yan Li Du5, Qiao Qiao Lu5, Ting Ting Huang5, Jian Bo Lai1,2, Jing Kai Chen1,2, Wei Hua Zhou1,2, Ning Wei1,2, Yi Xu1,2, Kai Wang3, Shao Hua Hu1,2. 1. Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. 2. The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China. 3. Laboratory of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. 4. Epidemiology Division & MRI Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University & New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. 5. Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sexual orientation has been suggested to affect executive function, of which the neurobiological basis is still largely unknown. In this study, we explored the interrelationship between neuropsychological characteristics in homosexual and heterosexual men and their anatomical connectome by graph theoretical analysis. METHODS: Fifty-three homosexual and 47 heterosexual males underwent diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological assessments. Whole-brain anatomical networks were constructed using white matter tractography, performed on the diffusion tensor imaging data. Neuropsychological tests included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Trail-Making Test (TMT). RESULTS: The cognitive performance of homosexual men was significantly poorer than their heterosexual counterparts in terms of WCST total correct responses. Anatomical connectome analysis revealed a lower (P=0.001) anatomical connectivity between left PoCG and left SMG (P=0.003) in homosexual men as compared to heterosexual men. Linear regression analyses showed that the WCST total correct responses score was significantly linked with sexual orientation (P=0.001). The anatomical connectivity strength between left PoCG and left SMG was also shown to be significantly correlated with sexual orientation (P=0.039) and education (P=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated the differences in the performance of WCST and anatomical connectome of large-scale brain networks between homosexual and heterosexual men, extending our understanding of the brain's circuitry and the characteristics of executive function in men of different sexual orientation. 2020 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Sexual orientation has been suggested to affect executive function, of which the neurobiological basis is still largely unknown. In this study, we explored the interrelationship between neuropsychological characteristics in homosexual and heterosexual men and their anatomical connectome by graph theoretical analysis. METHODS: Fifty-three homosexual and 47 heterosexual males underwent diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological assessments. Whole-brain anatomical networks were constructed using white matter tractography, performed on the diffusion tensor imaging data. Neuropsychological tests included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Trail-Making Test (TMT). RESULTS: The cognitive performance of homosexual men was significantly poorer than their heterosexual counterparts in terms of WCST total correct responses. Anatomical connectome analysis revealed a lower (P=0.001) anatomical connectivity between left PoCG and left SMG (P=0.003) in homosexual men as compared to heterosexual men. Linear regression analyses showed that the WCST total correct responses score was significantly linked with sexual orientation (P=0.001). The anatomical connectivity strength between left PoCG and left SMG was also shown to be significantly correlated with sexual orientation (P=0.039) and education (P=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated the differences in the performance of WCST and anatomical connectome of large-scale brain networks between homosexual and heterosexual men, extending our understanding of the brain's circuitry and the characteristics of executive function in men of different sexual orientation. 2020 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.
Authors: Herry Patel; Magdalena Siegel; Taylor Hatchard; Albina Veltman; Margaret C McKinnon; Sabrina K Syan; Colleen Merrifield; Sophia L Roth; Katholiki Georgiades; Suzanne Archie; Jakub Wolf; Andrew A Nicholson Journal: Quant Imaging Med Surg Date: 2022-07
Authors: Andrew A Nicholson; Magdalena Siegel; Jakub Wolf; Sandhya Narikuzhy; Sophia L Roth; Taylor Hatchard; Ruth A Lanius; Maiko Schneider; Chantelle S Lloyd; Margaret C McKinnon; Alexandra Heber; Patrick Smith; Brigitte Lueger-Schuster Journal: Eur J Psychotraumatol Date: 2022-02-28