Utilizing diverse methods to characterize puberty: Three investigations across development

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The talks in this symposium will present diverse methods of characterizing pubertal development and utilize these diverse characterizations to understand the broader developmental changes of adolescence. The first paper will present data from a study of brain development during the earliest stages of puberty and highlight the role of adrenal androgens in promoting neurodevelopment. Structural neuroimaging, pubertal staging, and hormone data (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate [DHEAS] and dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA]) were collected from 92 prepubertal children (Tanner stage = 1, chronological age = 8-9 years old). The results demonstrated that DHEAS was associated with grey matter volume in prepubertal children, while DHEA was associated with cortical thickness. These findings implicate DHEA(S) in the neurodevelopmental plasticity typically associated with gonadarche. The second talk in this symposium will present longitudinal data on cross-talk between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes (also known as hormone coupling) across the pubertal transition. A community sample of 437 children provided diurnal saliva samples at ages nine and 12, and saliva was assayed for cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone. Results indicated that cortisol-DHEA coupling varied by sex and developmental stage, as males initially showed positive cortisol-DHEA coupling that became progressively more negative as they aged, while females demonstrated more negative DHEA-cortisol coupling that became progressively more positive as they aged. However, cortisol-testosterone coupling did not vary by sex or pubertal status, demonstrating positive associations at age nine which strengthened by age 12. These findings contribute to a fuller understanding of hormone coupling during the early stages of puberty and across development. Finally, the third presentation will present longitudinal data from a community sample of male children first assessed prior to puberty (mean age = 7.44 years) and then assessed six and seven years later. Utilizing Tanner staging, self- and parent-report measures of pubertal development (Pubertal Development Scale; PDS), and hormone assaying for DHEA and testosterone, the authors explored the relationship between pubertal development and psychiatric symptoms over time. Overall, they found that earlier pubertal timing predicted greater symptom severity. However, while higher DHEA levels predicted lower symptom severity, higher testosterone values were associated with elevated symptom severity. The overarching goal of this symposium is to demonstrate that puberty is not a singular event that should be measured unidimensionally, but a multi-faceted process that has down-stream implications for brain development, coordination across biological systems, and psychological health.