Structural brain morphology in young adult women who have been choked/strangled during sex: A whole-brain surface morphometry study

INTRODUCTION

Being choked/strangled during partnered sex is an emerging sexual behavior, particularly prevalent among young adult women. Using a multiparameter morphometric imaging approach, we aimed to characterize neuroanatomical differences between young adult women (18-30 years old) who were exposed to frequent sexual choking and their choking naïve controls.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study consisted of two groups (choking [≥4 times in the past 30 days] vs. choking-naïve group). Participants who reported being choked four or more times during sex in the past 30 days were enrolled in the choking group, whereas those without were assigned to the choking naïve group. High-resolution anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were analyzed using both volumetric features (cortical thickness) and geometric features (fractal dimensionality, gyrification, sulcal depth).

RESULTS

Forty-one participants (choking n = 20; choking-naïve n = 21) contributed to the final analysis. The choking group showed significantly increased cortical thickness across multiple regions (e.g., fusiform, lateral occipital, lingual gyri) compared to the choking-naïve group. Widespread reductions of the gyrification were observed in the choking group as opposed to the choking-naïve group. However, there was no group difference in sulcal depth. The fractal dimensionality showed bi-directional results, where the choking group exhibited increased dimensionality in areas including the postcentral gyrus, insula, and fusiform, whereas decreased dimensionality was observed in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus and pericalcarine cortex.

CONCLUSION

These data in cortical morphology suggest that sexual choking events may be associated with neuroanatomical alteration. A longitudinal study with multimodal assessment is needed to better understand the temporal ordering of sexual choking and neurological outcomes.

Childhood socioeconomic status is prospectively associated with surface morphometry in adulthood

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with brain cortex surface area in children. However, the extent to which childhood SES is prospectively associated with brain morphometry in adulthood is unclear. We tested whether childhood SES (income-to-needs ratio averaged across ages 9, 13, and 17) is prospectively associated with cortical surface morphometry in adulthood. Average childhood income-to-needs ratio had a positive, prospective association with cortical thickness in adulthood in the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and caudal middle frontal gyrus (p < .05, FWE corrected). Childhood income-to-needs ratio also had a positive, prospective association with cortical surface area in adulthood in multiple regions, including the rostral and caudal middle frontal gyri and superior frontal gyrus (p < .05, FWE corrected). Concurrent income-to-needs ratio (measured at age 24) was not associated with cortical thickness or surface area in adulthood. The results underscore the importance of addressing poverty in childhood for brain morphological development.

Gray Matter Deterioration Pattern During Alzheimer's Disease Progression: A Regions-of-Interest Based Surface Morphometry Study

Accurate detection of the regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) lesions is critical for early intervention to effectively slow down the progression of the disease. Although gray matter volumetric abnormalities are commonly detected in patients with mild cognition impairment (MCI) and patients with AD, the gray matter surface-based deterioration pattern associated with the progression of the disease from MCI to AD stages is largely unknown. To identify group differences in gray matter surface morphometry, including cortical thickness, the gyrification index (GI), and the sulcus depth, 80 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database were split into healthy controls (HCs; N = 20), early MCIs (EMCI; N = 20), late MCIs (LMCI; N = 20), and ADs (N = 20). Regions-of-interest (ROI)-based surface morphometry was subsequently studied and compared across the four stage groups to characterize the gray matter deterioration during AD progression. Co-alteration patterns (Spearman's correlation coefficient) across the whole brain were also examined. Results showed that patients with MCI and AD exhibited a significant reduction in cortical thickness (p < 0.001) mainly in the cingulate region (four subregions) and in the temporal (thirteen subregions), parietal (five subregions), and frontal (six subregions) lobes compared to HCs. The sulcus depth of the eight temporal, four frontal, four occipital, and eight parietal subregions were also significantly affected (p < 0.001) by the progression of AD. The GI was shown to be insensitive to AD progression (only three subregions were detected with a significant difference, p < 0.001). Moreover, Spearman's correlation analysis confirmed that the co-alteration pattern of the cortical thickness and sulcus depth indices is predominant during AD progression. The findings highlight the relevance between gray matter surface morphometry and the stages of AD, laying the foundation for in vivo tracking of AD progression. The co-alteration pattern of surface-based morphometry would improve the researchers' knowledge of the underlying pathologic mechanisms in AD.

The effect of diagnosis, age, and symptom severity on cortical surface area in the cingulate cortex and insula in autism spectrum disorders

Functional activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula has been reported to be abnormal during social tasks in autism spectrum disorders. However, few studies have examined surface morphometry in these regions and how this may be related to autism spectrum disorder symptomatology. In this study, 27 individuals with autism spectrum disorders and 25 controls between the ages of 7 to 39 years underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. Our primary analysis examined differences in surface area in the cingulate and insula, between individuals with and without autism spectrum disorders, as well as age-related changes and associations with social impairments. Surface area in the right cingulate was significantly different between groups and decreased more rapidly with age in autism spectrum disorder participants. In addition, greater surface area in the insula and isthmus was associated with poorer social behaviors. Results suggest atypical surface morphometry in brain regions involved in social function, which appeared to be related to poorer social ability scores.