Biology subjects

Radecki, M. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Radecki, M. A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Mapping Brain Growth and Sex Differences Across Prenatal to Postnatal Development

The perinatal period, encompassing both prenatal and early postnatal stages, is a highly dynamic and foundational phase of brain development. Despite its significance, limited work has tracked brain growth continuously across prenatal to postnatal development. In this study, we analysed one of the largest perinatal MRI datasets from the Developing Human Connectome Project (798 scans from 699 unique individuals: 263 prenatal and 535 neonatal; 380 males and 319 females) to model age-related changes and sex differences in brain volumes from 21 to 45 weeks postconceptional age. We found that total brain volume grew at an increasing rate, with white matter dominating mid-gestational growth and gray matter dominating late-gestational and postnatal growth. Subcortical gray matter structures showed distinct trajectories and earlier peak growth rates compared to cortical gray matter structures. Additionally, sex differences in brain growth patterns were observed, with males showing greater volumetric increases with age compared with females. The findings demonstrate the evolving structural dynamics of perinatal brain development as well as the importance of integrating prenatal and postnatal neuroimaging to map continuous early brain growth trajectories.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Sex Differences in Human Brain Structure at Birth

Sex differences in human brain anatomy have been well-documented; however, their underlying causes remain controversial. Neonatal research offers a pivotal opportunity to address this long-standing debate. Given that postnatal environmental influences (e.g., gender socialisation) are minimal at birth, any sex differences observed at this stage can be more readily attributed to prenatal influences. Here, we assessed on-average sex differences in global and regional brain volumes in 514 newborns (236 birth-assigned females and 278 birth-assigned males) using data from the developing Human Connectome Project. On average, males had significantly larger intracranial and total brain volumes, even after controlling for birth weight. After controlling for total brain volume, females showed higher total cortical gray matter volumes, whilst males showed higher total white matter volumes. After controlling for total brain volume in regional comparisons, females had increased white matter volumes in the corpus callosum and increased gray matter volumes in the bilateral parahippocampal gyri (posterior parts), left anterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral parietal lobes, and left caudate nucleus. Males had increased gray matter volumes in the right medial and inferior temporal gyrus (posterior part) and right subthalamic nucleus. Effect sizes ranged from small for regional comparisons to large for global comparisons. While postnatal experiences likely amplify sex differences in the brain, our findings demonstrate that several global and regional on-average sex differences are already present at birth.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Brain structure reflects empathy and psychopathy in incarcerated males

BackgroundReduced empathy is a hallmark of individuals with high (i.e., clinical) levels of psychopathy, who are overrepresented among incarcerated men. Yet, a comprehensive, well-powered mapping of cortical structure in relation to empathy and psychopathy is still lacking. MethodsIn 804 incarcerated adult men, we administered the Perspective Taking (IRI-PT) and Empathic Concern (IRI-EC) subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; with Interpersonal/Affective [F1] and Lifestyle/Antisocial [F2] factors), and T1-weighted MRI to quantify cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), and structural-covariance gradients. ResultsPCL-R F1 was uniquely negatively related to IRI-EC, while PCL-R F2 was uniquely negatively related to IRI-PT. Cortical structure was not related to the IRI subscales. In contrast, CT was related to PCL-R F1 (mostly positively), SA was related to both PCL-R factors (only positively), and both cortical indices demonstrated out-of-sample predictive utility for PCL-R F1. Compared to low-psychopathy men, high-psychopathy men had uniquely lower IRI-EC scores and increased SA (but not CT); across the cortex, effect sizes were largest in the paralimbic class and somatomotor network, while meta-analytic task-based activations further highlighted spatial overlap with (social-)affective/sensory regions. Finally, the total sample revealed canonical anterior-posterior structural-covariance gradients. In high-psychopathy men, the gradient of CT (but not SA) was globally compressed. ConclusionsHigh-psychopathy men had reduced empathic concern, increased SA, and a compressed macroscale organization of CT, suggesting specific co-occurring alterations in empathy and cortical structure. Future work should build upon these novel insights in both the general and incarcerated populations to inform the treatment of psychopathy.

neuroscience↗