Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack
Published on: May 15, 2020
Developmentally divergent sexual dimorphism in the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical psychosis risk pathway
Grace R Jacobs1,2,3, Stephanie H Ameis2,4,5,6, Jie Lisa Ji7
1Kimel Family Translational Imaging Genetics Research Laboratory, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Abstract:
Structural and functional cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) circuit abnormalities have been observed in schizophrenia and the clinical high-risk state. However, this circuit is sexually dimorphic and changes across neurodevelopment. We examined effects of sex and age on structural and functional properties of the CSTC circuit in a large sample of youth with and without psychosis spectrum symptoms (PSS) from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. T1-weighted and resting-state functional MRI scans were collected on a 3T Siemens scanner, in addition to participants' cognitive and psychopathology data. After quality control, the total sample (aged 11-21) was n = 1095 (males = 485, females = 610). Structural subdivisions of the striatum and thalamus were identified using the MAGeT Brain segmentation tool. Functional seeds were segmented based on brain network connectivity. Interaction effects among PSS group, sex, and age on striatum, thalamus, and subdivision volumes were examined. A similar model was used to test effects on functional connectivity of the CSTC circuit. A sex by PSS group interaction was identified, whereby PSS males had higher volumes and PSS females had lower volumes in striatal and thalamic subdivisions. Reduced functional striato-cortical connectivity was found in PSS youth, primarily driven by males, whereby younger male PSS youth also exhibited thalamo-cortical hypo-connectivity (compared to non-PSS youth), vs. striato-cortical hyper-connectivity in older male PSS youth (compared to non-PSS youth). Youth with PSS demonstrate sex and age-dependent differences in striatal and thalamic subdivision structure and functional connectivity. Further efforts at biomarker discovery and early therapeutic intervention targeting the CSTC circuit in psychosis should consider effects of sex and age.
Related Concept Videos
Divergence and Curl
Divergence and Stokes' Theorems
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview

