The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood

Abnormalities in the concentration of brain metabolites have been found across neuropsychiatric conditions. This cross-sectional study set out to examine the relationship between levels of neurometabolites and age and sex —key modulators of brain function and structure—, continuously from childhood...

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Main Authors: María Ortuño, Adriana Fortea, Isabel Valli, Emma Muñoz-Moreno, Roger Borràs, Irene Martínez-Serrano, Mireia Masias Bruns, Patricia Camprodon-Boadas, Enric Vilajosana, Lydia Fortea, Joaquim Raduà, Elena de la Serna, Inmaculada Baeza, Josefina Castro-Fornieles, Gisela Sugranyes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:NeuroImage
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003568
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author María Ortuño
Adriana Fortea
Isabel Valli
Emma Muñoz-Moreno
Roger Borràs
Irene Martínez-Serrano
Mireia Masias Bruns
Patricia Camprodon-Boadas
Enric Vilajosana
Lydia Fortea
Joaquim Raduà
Elena de la Serna
Inmaculada Baeza
Josefina Castro-Fornieles
Gisela Sugranyes
author_facet María Ortuño
Adriana Fortea
Isabel Valli
Emma Muñoz-Moreno
Roger Borràs
Irene Martínez-Serrano
Mireia Masias Bruns
Patricia Camprodon-Boadas
Enric Vilajosana
Lydia Fortea
Joaquim Raduà
Elena de la Serna
Inmaculada Baeza
Josefina Castro-Fornieles
Gisela Sugranyes
author_sort María Ortuño
collection DOAJ
description Abnormalities in the concentration of brain metabolites have been found across neuropsychiatric conditions. This cross-sectional study set out to examine the relationship between levels of neurometabolites and age and sex —key modulators of brain function and structure—, continuously from childhood to early adulthood, in areas relevant to the study of psychiatric disorders.Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) data was acquired in the dorsomedial prefrontal region (dmPF) and the medial temporal lobe (mTL) in 128 healthy individuals aged 7 to 34 years, 68.5 % females (ndmPF = 124; nmTL = 75). Absolute concentrations of glutamate (Glu), glutamate and glutamine (Glx), myo-inositol (mIns), N-acetyl-aspartate and N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (tNAA), glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine (tCho), and creatine and phosphocreatine (tCr) were determined, and tested for the effects of age, sex and their interaction.In the dmPF, there were linear, age-related decreases in Glu and Glx. The association between levels of both tNAA and tCr and age adjusted to a quadratic model, consisting of a positive association until ages 20.79 and 22.82, respectively, and a negative relationship thereafter. There was a significant effect of sex in the mTL, whereby concentrations of Glu, Glx and mIns were lower in females than in males. No age by sex interactions were detected.These findings highlight the importance of accounting for both linear and non-linear age-related effects and for the potential effect of sex when interpreting disease-related differences in ¹H MRS-quantified metabolites from childhood through to adulthood.
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spelling doaj-art-d41e48a44ffc4dfa813f2c53eb8ad87c2025-08-20T03:28:32ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-08-0131712135310.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121353The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthoodMaría Ortuño0Adriana Fortea1Isabel Valli2Emma Muñoz-Moreno3Roger Borràs4Irene Martínez-Serrano5Mireia Masias Bruns6Patricia Camprodon-Boadas7Enric Vilajosana8Lydia Fortea9Joaquim Raduà10Elena de la Serna11Inmaculada Baeza12Josefina Castro-Fornieles13Gisela Sugranyes14Fundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosciences Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, United KingdomMagnetic Resonance Imaging Core Facility, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, SpainCentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Cardiovascular Institute, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; BCN-MedTech, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosciences Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosciences Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, United KingdomCentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, SGR21-01319, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosciences Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, SGR21-01319, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Neurosciences Institute, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, SGR21-01319, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, SpainFundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB-IDIBAPS) Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, SGR21-01319, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author at: Fundació Clínic Recerca Biomèdica - Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), c. Rossello 149-153, 08036, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.Abnormalities in the concentration of brain metabolites have been found across neuropsychiatric conditions. This cross-sectional study set out to examine the relationship between levels of neurometabolites and age and sex —key modulators of brain function and structure—, continuously from childhood to early adulthood, in areas relevant to the study of psychiatric disorders.Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) data was acquired in the dorsomedial prefrontal region (dmPF) and the medial temporal lobe (mTL) in 128 healthy individuals aged 7 to 34 years, 68.5 % females (ndmPF = 124; nmTL = 75). Absolute concentrations of glutamate (Glu), glutamate and glutamine (Glx), myo-inositol (mIns), N-acetyl-aspartate and N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (tNAA), glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine (tCho), and creatine and phosphocreatine (tCr) were determined, and tested for the effects of age, sex and their interaction.In the dmPF, there were linear, age-related decreases in Glu and Glx. The association between levels of both tNAA and tCr and age adjusted to a quadratic model, consisting of a positive association until ages 20.79 and 22.82, respectively, and a negative relationship thereafter. There was a significant effect of sex in the mTL, whereby concentrations of Glu, Glx and mIns were lower in females than in males. No age by sex interactions were detected.These findings highlight the importance of accounting for both linear and non-linear age-related effects and for the potential effect of sex when interpreting disease-related differences in ¹H MRS-quantified metabolites from childhood through to adulthood.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003568Magnetic resonance spectroscopyMetabolitesNeurodevelopmentGeneral population
spellingShingle María Ortuño
Adriana Fortea
Isabel Valli
Emma Muñoz-Moreno
Roger Borràs
Irene Martínez-Serrano
Mireia Masias Bruns
Patricia Camprodon-Boadas
Enric Vilajosana
Lydia Fortea
Joaquim Raduà
Elena de la Serna
Inmaculada Baeza
Josefina Castro-Fornieles
Gisela Sugranyes
The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
NeuroImage
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Metabolites
Neurodevelopment
General population
title The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
title_full The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
title_fullStr The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
title_full_unstemmed The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
title_short The effect of age and sex on brain metabolites: from childhood to adulthood
title_sort effect of age and sex on brain metabolites from childhood to adulthood
topic Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Metabolites
Neurodevelopment
General population
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003568
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