Dehydroepiandrosterone mediates associations between trauma-related symptoms and anterior pituitary volume in children and adolescents.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The anterior pituitary gland (PG) is a potential locus of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsivity to early life stress, with documented associations between dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels and anterior PG volumes. In adults, elevated anxiety/depressive symptoms are related to diminished DHEA levels, and studies have shown a positive relationship between DHEA and anterior pituitary volumes. However, specific links between responses to stress, DHEA levels, and anterior pituitary volume have not been established in developmental samples.

Methods

High-resolution T1-weighted MRI scans were collected from 137 healthy youth (9-17 years; M_age  = 12.99 (SD = 1.87); 49% female; 85% White, 4% Indigenous, 1% Asian, 4% Black, 4% multiracial, 2%

SUBMITTER: Picci G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10681633 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature