Sex differences associated with corpus callosum development in human infants: A longitudinal multimodal imaging study
Astrid Schmied,
Takahiro Soda,
Guido Gerig,
Martin Styner,
Meghan R. Swanson,
Jed T. Elison,
Mark D. Shen,
Robert C. McKinstry,
John R. Pruett, Jr.,
Kelly N. Botteron,
Annette M. Estes,
Stephen R. Dager,
Heather C. Hazlett,
Robert T. Schultz,
Joseph Piven,
Jason J. Wolff
Affiliations
Astrid Schmied
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Takahiro Soda
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Guido Gerig
Department of Computer Science & Engineering, New York University, New York City, NY, USA
Martin Styner
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Meghan R. Swanson
School of Behavioral & Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
Jed T. Elison
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Mark D. Shen
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Robert C. McKinstry
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
John R. Pruett, Jr.
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Kelly N. Botteron
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Annette M. Estes
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Stephen R. Dager
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Heather C. Hazlett
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Robert T. Schultz
Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Joseph Piven
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Jason J. Wolff
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Corresponding author. 250 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest connective pathway in the human brain, linking cerebral hemispheres. There is longstanding debate in the scientific literature whether sex differences are evident in this structure, with many studies indicating the structure is larger in females. However, there are few data pertaining to this issue in infancy, during which time the most rapid developmental changes to the CC occur. In this study, we examined longitudinal brain imaging data collected from 104 infants at ages 6, 12, and 24 months. We identified sex differences in brain-size adjusted CC area and thickness characterized by a steeper rate of growth in males versus females from ages 6–24 months. In contrast to studies of older children and adults, CC size was larger for male compared to female infants. Based on diffusion tensor imaging data, we found that CC thickness is significantly associated with underlying microstructural organization. However, we observed no sex differences in the association between microstructure and thickness, suggesting that the role of factors such as axon density and/or myelination in determining CC size is generally equivalent between sexes. Finally, we found that CC length was negatively associated with nonverbal ability among females.
