A normative modelling approach based on brain charts to explore cortical development patterns in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty
Idiopathic central precocious puberty(ICPP)arises from premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal(HPG)axis,encompassing intricate neurobiological mechanisms.Previous neuroimaging studies have identified structural abnormalities in the cerebral cortex of children with ICPP,yet comprehensively mapping their brain development trajectory remains challenging due to variable assessment techniques and individual differences.To overcome this,a normative modeling approach based on human brain charts provides a common frame of reference for the study of various neurodevelopmental conditions.This approach ensures stable detection of brain morphological variations in neurological and psychiatric conditions,providing a solid basis for further investigations.In this study,a total of 56 ICPP girls were recruited as observation subjects,as well as 100 healthy subjects who collected data under the same equipment for the construction of normative curves.The main objective of the study was to explore the changes in cortical volume and developmental trajectories in children with ICPP,facilitating a comprehensive understanding of their neuroanatomical changes.Preprocessing of structural image data was performed using the Connection Group Computing System(CCS),followed by reconstruction with FreeSurfer software.Anatomical structures of 34 critical brain regions were extracted based on aprac templates,along with measurements of overall gray matter volume(GMV),subcortical gray matter volume(sGMV),overall white matter volume(WMV),ventricular volume(VV),cerebral volume(TCV),and surface area(TSA)volumes.To reduce the impact of site effects,normality correction was applied using imaging data from 100 healthy subjects.Subsequently,percentile for each brain region metric were calculated using a large-scale dataset(120,000 subjects)and then converted to standardized scores(Z-scores)to identify differences between the ICPP group and the normative model.The results of the study revealed that ICPP girls exhibited notably reduced total brain volume(TCV),gray matter volume(GMV),and numerous local cortical volumes compared to typically developing peers.Furthermore,their brain volume development trajectories lagged behind the normative age-related curves.This contrasts sharply with the earlier onset of accelerated physical development observed in ICPP children,indicating a significant delay in brain maturation among this population.In order to further investigate the effects of hormones on cortical volume,we conducted regression analyses of the levels of luteinizing hormone(LH)and follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)in the ICPP group with the volumes of brain regions showing differences.Ultimately,no significant association between sex hormones and brain region volumes was found.In summary,the normative modeling approach based on brain chats provides a powerful tool to accurately quantify the neurodevelopmental differences between individuals and helps us to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of hormone-related developmental disorders on brain developmental patterns.However,the influence of sex hormones on brain development may be more complex and requires further research to reveal its underlying mechanisms.
万方数据
维普
