The role of serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in adult humans brain morphology
Taoyang Yuan, Jianyou Ying, Lu Jin, Chuzhong Li, Songbai Gui, Zhenye Li, Rui Wang, Zhentao Zuo, Yazhuo Zhang
Abstract
Growth hormone (GH) and its anabolic mediator, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), have a critical role in the central nervous system. However, their detailed roles in the adult human brain are not clear. In this study, structural MRIs of 48 patients with GH-secreting pituitary adenoma (GH-PA), 48 sex- and age-matched clinical Non-Functional pituitary adenoma patients (NonFun-PA) and healthy controls (HCs) were assessed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region-based morphometry (RBM). Correlation analyses helped determine the relationships between serum hormone levels and brain structure. The whole-brain gray matter volume (GMV) and white matter volume (WMV) significantly increased at the expense of cerebrospinal fluid volume (CSFV) in GH-PA (Bonferroni corrected, p<0.01). The increase in GMV and reduction in CSFV were significantly correlated with serum GH/IGF-1 levels (p<0.05). VBM showed significant correlations of the GMV/WMV alteration pattern between GH-PA vs HCs and GH-PA vs NonFun-PA and widespread bilateral clusters of significantly increased GMV and WMV in GH-PA (pFDR<0.05). RBM showed obviously increased GMV/WMV in 54 of 68 brain regions (p<0.05) in GH-PA compared to HCs. Our results provide imaging evidence that serum GH/IGF-1 contributes to brain growth, which may be a potential treatment option for neurodegenerative disorders and brain injury in humans.