Volume In Adolescents Research Articles

02-02 Pituitary volume in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder.

02-02 Pituitary volume in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder.

Preliminary evidence for persistent abnormalities in amygdala volumes in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder

Abnormalities in volumes of the amygdala have been reported previously in adolescents and adults with bipolar disorder (BD). Several studies have reported reduced volumes in adolescents with BD; however, both decreases and increases in volumes have been reported in adults with BD. Understanding of potential developmental contributions to these disturbances in morphology of the amygdala has been limited by the absence of longitudinal data in persons with BD. Here we use a within-subject longitudinal design to investigate whether amygdala volume abnormalities persist in adolescents and young adults with BD over a time interval of approximately 2 years. Participants included 18 adolescents and young adults: 10 participants with BD I and 8 healthy comparison participants. Amygdala volumes were measured on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans acquired twice for each subject over intervals of approximately 2 years. Amygdala volumes were the dependent measures in a mixed-model statistical analysis to compare amygdala volumes between groups over time while covarying for total brain volume. Amygdala volumes were significantly smaller in adolescents and young adults with BD compared with healthy participants (p = 0.018). The effect of time was not significant. Although the sample size is modest, this study provides preliminary evidence to support the presence of decreased amygdala volumes in adolescents and young adults with BD that persist during this developmental epoch.

TESTICULAR MICROLITHIASIS AND ANTISPERM ANTIBODIES FOLLOWING TESTICULAR BIOPSY IN BOYS WITH CRYPTORCHIDISM

Testicular biopsy (TBx) performed during orchiopexy in boys with cryptorchidism can help to predict future semen analyses and possibly identify patients at risk for testicular cancer. It has been theorized that TBx can be detrimental to the long-term health of the testis. We examined testicular microlithiasis (TM) and antisperm antibody (ASA) production in cryptorchid TBx. A total of 112 males underwent fertility evaluation. These patients had previously undergone orchiopexy and bilateral TBx (mean age 8.6 years) for unilateral or bilateral undescended testis. At a mean age of 19.6 years all patients underwent physical examination and scrotal ultrasound for evaluation of testis size, echotexture and abnormalities. Of 112 patients 57 also underwent direct Immunobead(R) assay with positive controls. Moving sperm free and/or bound to IgG bead complex were counted in the preparation. A total of 29 patients had bilateral and 83 had unilateral undescended testis. Of the 112 patients 26 were black and 86 were white. Four black patients (15.4%) and 4 white patients (4.7%) had testicular microlithiasis. Three patients had bilateral and 5 had unilateral diffuse TM. No tunica albuginea scars or testis masses were noted. In the 57 patients who underwent direct Immunobead assay no semen sample demonstrated evidence of forming bead-sperm complex, ie none had direct ASA. No patient exhibited evidence of direct ASA. Prepubertal open TBx does not increase the rate of TM. We found no evidence of additive testicular damage associated with TBx at the time of orchiopexy.

Prefrontal Cortex, Thalamus, and Cerebellar Volumes in Adolescents and Young Adults with Adolescent-Onset Alcohol Use Disorders and Comorbid Mental Disorders

In adults, prefrontal, thalamic, and cerebellar brain injury is associated with excessive ethanol intake. As these brain structures are actively maturing during adolescence, we hypothesized that subjects with adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders, compared with control subjects, would have smaller brain volumes in these areas. Thus, we compared prefrontal-thalamic-cerebellar measures of adolescents and young adults with adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders (AUD, defined as DSM-IV alcohol dependence or abuse) with those of sociodemographically similar control subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure prefrontal cortex, thalamic, and cerebellar volumes in 14 subjects (eight males, six females) with an AUD (mean age, 17.0+/-2.1 years) and 28 control subjects (16 males, 12 females; 16.9+/-2.3 years). All AUD subjects were recruited from substance abuse treatment programs and had comorbid mental disorders. Subjects with alcohol use disorders had smaller prefrontal cortex and prefrontal cortex white matter volumes compared with control subjects. Right, left, and total thalamic, pons/brainstem, right and left cerebellar hemispheric, total cerebellar, and cerebellar vermis volumes did not differ between groups. There was a significant sex-by-group effect, indicating that males with an adolescent-onset AUD compared with control males had smaller cerebellar volumes, whereas the two female groups did not differ in cerebellar volumes. Prefrontal cortex volume variables significantly correlated with measures of alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that a smaller prefrontal cortex is associated with early-onset drinking in individuals with comorbid mental disorders. Further studies are warranted to examine if a smaller prefrontal cortex represents a vulnerability to, or a consequence of, early-onset drinking.

Cortical Gray and White Brain Tissue Volume in Adolescents and Adults with Autism

A number of studies have found brain enlargement in autism, but there is disagreement as to whether this enlargement is limited to early development or continues into adulthood. In this study, cortical gray and white tissue volumes were examined in a sample of adolescents and adults with autism who had demonstrated total brain enlargement in a previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. An automated tissue segmentation program was applied to structural MRI scans to obtain volumes of gray, white, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tissue on a sample of adolescent and adult males ages 13-29 with autism (n = 23) and controls (n = 15). Regional differences for brain lobes and brain hemispheres were also examined. Significant enlargement in gray matter volume was found for the individuals with autism, with a disproportionate increase in left-sided gray matter volume. Lobe volume enlargements were detected for frontal and temporal, but not parietal or occipital lobes, in the subjects with autism. Age and nonverbal IQ effects on tissue volume were also observed. These findings give evidence for left-lateralized gray tissue enlargement in adolescents and adults with autism, and demonstrate a regional pattern of cortical lobe volumes underlying this effect.

Uterine volume in adolescents

The objective of the present study was to determine the uterine volume of adolescents by ultrasonography, and to correlate it with pregnancy during adolescence and with the immaturity of the female genital tract for pregnancy and delivery. A transverse observational study was conducted on 828 patients who were 10 to 40 years old by transabdominal ultrasonography and were divided into two groups: group 1 consisted of 477 (57.6%) adolescents and group 2 consisted of 351 (42.3%) women 20 to 40 years old. Uterine volume increased with the presence of menarche, age and parity ( p < 0.05). Nulliparous and primiparous adolescents younger than 18 years old had a smaller uterine volume, 41.3 ± 17.9 and 51.6 ± 19.7 cm 3, respectively, than nulliparous and primiparous women 20 to 40 years old ( p < 0.001). However, secundiparous adolescents had a uterine volume of 62.6 ± 20.6 cm 3, which was significantly similar to the uterine volume of women 20 to 40 years old ( p = 0.22). The differences in uterine volume between adolescents younger than 18 years old or with less than two deliveries and women who were 20 to 40 years old may be due to immaturity of the female genital tract for pregnancy and delivery among younger women, with a consequent higher incidence of preterm deliveries in this group. (E-mail: gadelhamail@bol.com.br)

Amygdala and hippocampal volumes in adolescents and adults with bipolar disorder.

The purported functions of medial temporal lobe structures suggest their involvement in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Previous reports of abnormalities in the volume of the amygdala and hippocampus in patients with BD have been inconsistent in their findings and limited to adult samples. Appreciation of whether volumetric abnormalities are early features of BD or whether the abnormalities represent neurodegenerative changes associated with illness duration is limited by the paucity of data in juvenile samples. To investigate amygdala and hippocampal volume in adults and adolescents with BD. Subjects included 36 individuals (14 adolescents and 22 adults) in outpatient treatment for BD type I at a university hospital or Veterans Affairs medical center or in the surrounding community, and 56 healthy comparison subjects (23 adolescents and 33 adults). Amygdala and hippocampal volumes were defined and measured on high-resolution anatomic magnetic resonance imaging scans. We used a mixed-model, repeated-measures statistical analysis to compare amygdala and hippocampal volumes across groups while covarying for total brain volume, age, and sex. Potential effects of illness features were explored, including rapid cycling, medication, alcohol or other substance dependence, duration, and mood state. For both the amygdala and hippocampal regions, we found an overall significant volume reduction in the BD compared with the control group (P<.0001). Amygdala volume reductions (15.6%) were highly significant (P<.0001). We observed a nonsignificant trend (P =.054) toward reductions in hippocampal volumes of lesser magnitude (5.3%). Effects of illness features were not detected. These results suggest that BD is associated with decreased volumes of medial temporal lobe structures, with greater effect sizes in the amygdala than in the hippocampus. These abnormalities are likely manifested early in the course of illness, as they affected adolescent and adult subjects similarly in this sample.

Volume uterino em adolescentes avaliado pela ultra-sonografia

OBJETIVO: avaliar o volume uterino de mulheres entre 10 e 40 anos, verificando-se se o volume uterino de adolescentes é menor que o volume uterino de mulheres entre 20 e 40 anos. Procuram-se enfatizar as diferenças entre o volume uterino de adolescentes e mulheres adultas correlacionando-as com a imaturidade do trato genital de adolescentes para a gravidez e o parto. MÉTODOS: estudo transversal, no qual 828 pacientes entre 10 e 40 anos foram divididas em dois grupos e avaliadas por meio da ultra-sonografia transabdominal para aferição do volume uterino. O primeiro grupo (Ad) foi formado por 477 (57,7%) adolescentes e o segundo grupo (Ma) por 351 (42,3%) mulheres adultas entre 20 e 40 anos. No grupo Ad, os exames ultra-sonográficos foram realizados por um único observador e no grupo Ma, por um grupo de médicos que seguiram a mesma metodologia utilizada no grupo Ad. Os aparelhos ultra-sonográficos utilizados foram Image Point HX (Hewlett Packard) e Hitachi 525, com transdutor convexo multifreqüencial. O cálculo do volume uterino foi obtido pelos diâmetros longitudinal (DL), ântero-posterior (DAP) e transverso (DT), multiplicados pela constante 0,45. RESULTADOS: o volume uterino de adolescentes entre 10 e 17 anos foi menor que o volume uterino de mulheres entre 20 e 40 anos (p<0,05). Adolescentes secundíparas apresentaram volume uterino semelhante ao volume uterino de mulheres secundíparas entre 20 e 40 anos (62,6±20,6 e 69,0±22,9) (p>0,05). CONCLUSÃO: o volume uterino de adolescentes com menos de 18 anos ou primíparas é menor que o volume uterino de mulheres entre 20 e 40 anos. Entretanto, adolescentes com 18 anos ou mais, ou secundíparas, têm volume uterino similar ao volume uterino de mulheres entre 20 e 40 anos.

Experience with Varicoceles in Children and Young Adults

Experience with Varicoceles in Children and Young Adults

Smaller frontal lobe white matter volumes in depressed adolescents

Background Prior studies have demonstrated reduced frontal lobe volumes in depressed adolescents. In this study, frontal lobe gray and white matter volumes in adolescents with major depressive disorder were evaluated. Methods Nineteen depressed and thirty-eight healthy comparison adolescents were recruited for a magnetic resonance imaging study. Images were segmented into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. Morphometric measurements of the whole brain and frontal lobe region were completed. Results Whole brain volumes were significantly smaller in depressed subjects compared with the healthy comparison subjects. Significantly smaller frontal white matter volumes and significantly larger frontal gray matter volumes were found in the depressed subjects, after controlling for age and whole brain volume. Conclusions These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a deficit in frontal volume exists during cortical development in adolescents with depression. Further studies are needed to assess whether volume differences resolve over time and the extent to which these differences influence response to treatment.

Effects of age on brain volume and head circumference in autism.

To determine whether brain volume, as assessed on MRI scans, differs between individuals with autism and control subjects, and whether such differences are affected by age. Previous studies have found increased brain weight, head circumference, and MRI brain volume in children with autism. However, studies of brain size in adults with autism have yielded conflicting results. The authors hypothesize that enlargement of the brain may be a feature of brain development during early childhood in autism that normalizes with maturational processes. The authors measured total brain volumes from 1.5-mm coronal MRI scans in 67 non-mentally retarded children and adults with autism and 83 healthy community volunteers, ranging in age from 8 to 46 years. Head circumference was also measured. Groups did not differ on age, sex, verbal IQ, or socioeconomic status. Brain volumes were significantly larger for children with autism 12 years old and younger compared with normally developing children, when controlling for height. Brain volumes for individuals older than age 12 did not differ between the autism and control groups. Head circumference was increased in both younger and older groups of subjects with autism, suggesting that those subjects older than age 12 had increased brain volumes as children. Brain development in autism follows an abnormal pattern, with accelerated growth in early life that results in brain enlargement in childhood. Brain volume in adolescents and adults with autism is, however, normal, and appears to be due to a slight decrease in brain volume for these individuals at the same time that normal children are experiencing a slight increase.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PEDIATRIC TESTICULAR VOLUME: ORCHIDOMETER VERSUS ULTRASOUND

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF PEDIATRIC TESTICULAR VOLUME: ORCHIDOMETER VERSUS ULTRASOUND

Clinical Measurement of Testicular Volume in Adolescents: Comparison of the Reliability of 5 Methods

Purpose Measurement of the testis is a more readily available method of estimating spermatogenesis. Doubt remains about the best instrument for measuring testicular volume. Lack of bias or accuracy of instruments has received too much emphasis in some studies, while to our knowledge no one has yet appropriately compared reliability statistically. We propose a simple new method for measuring testicular size based on visual comparison with graphic models, and describe the reliability and bias of this and 4 traditional methods. Materials and Methods Measurements of 42 adolescent testes were made in a certain sequence: graphic method, dimensional measurement, Prader orchidometer, ring orchidometer and ultrasound with ultrasound assumed to be the standard. Statistical analysis was based on the linear structural model. Results Statistical tests indicated that all 5 methods are equally reliable (R greater than 0.9). Although they are not equally accurate, actual testicular size can be calculated using each of these 5 methods and the equations of the linear structural model. Conclusions The new graphic method proposed in this study is as reliable as other well-known methods for measuring testicular size. Actual testicular volume can be estimated without bias and with equal reliability from any of the 5 methods using the equations of the linear structural model. This statistical approach is more relevant than the sole comparison of lack of bias or accuracy, which has been the main concern of previous studies.

Clinical Measurement of Testicular Volume in Adolescents

Clinical Measurement of Testicular Volume in Adolescents

Uterine development and endocrine relationships after menarche

Uterine volume and ovarian/uterine ratio during the first 6 postmenarchal years in 143 women were compared with an adult control group. Plasma gonadotropins and sex steroids were also correlated with uterine volume in adolescents. Uterine volume increased progressively and correlated positively with advancing postmenarchal (r = 0.24; p less than 0.05) and chronologic (r = 0.23; p less than 0.05) age. However, normal adult uterine volume was not yet reached by the highest postmenarchal (6 years) and chronologic (18 years) age. The ovarian/uterine ratio decreased gradually with increasing postmenarchal age but was always higher (0.22) than that of control subjects (0.12). Uterine volume correlated positively with plasma estradiol (r = 0.25; p less than 0.05) and dehydroepiandrosterone (r = 0.22; p less than 0.05) and its sulfate (r = 0.22; p less than 0.05) levels. This study indicates that the uterus continues to grow after menarche in conjunction with increasing hormone levels.

Testicular volumes of adolescents

THE FRAGILE X CHROMOSOME is a new cytogenetic marker associated with one form of X-linked mental retardationS; macro-orchidism has been reported in most cases. A fragile X chromosome was identified in a black mentally retarded male patient and in four of his seven brothers; two of these brothers were adolescents. Questions related to possible racial differences of testicular volumes in adolescents were not answered by a search of the literature; there was also little information concerning testicular volumes of contemporary white adolescents. These gaps led to this study. METHOD Boys aged 12 to 19 years were given physical examinations at an ambulatory facility providing health care for adolescents. These subjects came to the clinic for a variety of reasons and complaints, and many of them sought examinations to obtain a health certificate for a job or to participate in school sports programs. Each boy received a complete physical examination, which included assigning sex maturity ratings according to the Tanner classification. 2 Separate ratings for genitalia and pubic hair growth and mean values of the combined ratings were recorded. Laboratory determinations included hematocrit percentage and urinalysis, and screening for sickle cell disease and thalassemia in the black patients~ Age, race, height, weight, school grade, and attendance in a regular or school was recorded. (The term special class is used

Adolescent Volume Conservation Abilities: A Comparison of Three Tests

This study was conducted to test adolescent female students (mean age 19.7 years) on three different tests of volume conservation in order to determine whether the procedure used had an effect on t...