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Pubertal Hormones and the Early Adolescent Female Brain: A Multimodality Brain MRI Study
Muskan Khetan1,2, Nandita Vijayakumar3,4,5, Ye Ella Tian6
1Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Human Brain Mapping
|January 20, 2026
Summary
Pubertal hormones like estradiol (E2), testosterone (Tes), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are linked to adolescent female brain structure and function. This study reveals unique and shared neural pathways influenced by these key hormones during development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Puberty involves significant hormonal changes impacting adolescent brain development and behavior.
- Previous research on steroid hormones and adolescent female brain structure/function is limited and inconsistent, often due to small sample sizes.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for comprehending typical and atypical adolescent development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between key pubertal hormones—oestradiol (E2), testosterone (Tes), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)—and brain structure and function in adolescent females.
- To identify specific neural correlates unique to each hormone and those shared among them.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which hormonal fluctuations during puberty influence adolescent brain maturation and behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 3024 adolescent females (ages 8.92-13.33) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
- Employed elastic-net regression with cross-validation to analyze associations between hormone levels and brain phenotypes.
- Examined brain structure (gray matter volume, sulcal depth, cortical thickness, white matter microstructure) and function (resting-state connectivity, emotional n-back task performance) using multimodal neuroimaging.
Main Results:
- Structural brain features (cortical thickness, sulcal depth, white matter microstructure) and resting-state connectivity were significantly associated with hormone levels.
- Oestradiol (E2) showed strong associations with prefrontal and premotor regions involved in working memory and emotion processing.
- Testosterone (Tes) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were primarily linked to parietal and occipital regions associated with visuospatial functioning.
- All three hormones demonstrated associations with prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and insula cortices.
Conclusions:
- This study identifies both distinct and overlapping neural correlates for E2, Tes, and DHEA in adolescent females.
- Findings suggest specific brain regions and networks are differentially influenced by pubertal hormones.
- Provides insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying puberty's impact on adolescent behavior and cognitive development.
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