Progressive gender differences of structural brain networks in healthy adults: a longitudinal, diffusion tensor...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Brain Development
• Connectomics

Background:

• Sexual dimorphism in brain maturation is known during childhood and adolescence.
• Understanding gender's impact on adult brain connectome development is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate progressive gender differences in brain network topology using longitudinal data.
• Analyze how brain connectome topology evolves differently between males and females over time.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data collected over five years.
• Graph theoretical analysis applied to DTI data to assess brain network topology.
• Examination of global and regional network properties, including small-world architecture and efficiency.

Main Results:

• Both genders exhibit an economical 'small-world' brain network architecture.
• Females show a more economical 'small-world' architecture, while males display greater global efficiency.
• Significant gender-by-time interactions observed in weighted clustering coefficients, indicating divergent developmental trends.
• Specific brain regions demonstrate distinct developmental trajectories between sexes.

Conclusions:

• Findings confirm sexual dimorphism in brain structure and its potential influence on cognitive and behavioral differences.
• Sex-specific brain connectome development trajectories offer insights into neuropsychiatric disorders.
• This research may guide the development of sex-specific treatments for brain disorders.