First Trimester Dexamethasone Treatment Is Not Associated With Alteration in Resting-state Connectivity at Adolescent or Adult Age

Overview

Journal J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2022 Jul 26

PMID 35882216

Authors

Valeria Messina

Annelies Vant Westeinde

Nelly Padilla

Svetlana Lajic

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Context: Prenatal treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) has been used to prevent virilization in females at risk of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Both affected and unaffected girls, as well boys, are treated until the genotype and sex of the fetus is known (gestational weeks 10-12). After that, only affected girls are treated until term. Exposure to a high synthetic glucocorticoid dosage may alter the developmental trajectory of the brain, with alterations in resting-state functional connectivity of the brain at adult age.

Objective: To investigate resting-state functional connectivity in subjects at risk of having CAH, exposed to DEX treatment during the first trimester of fetal life, both in the whole brain and in 3 regions of interest (amygdala, hippocampus, and superior frontal gyrus).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Eighteen participants (8 females) at risk of having CAH, exposed to DEX treatment, and 38 controls (24 females), age range 16 to 26 years, from a single research institute, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain during rest. We used 2 different approaches: an exploratory whole-brain analysis and seed-based analysis. For seed-based analysis, we chose 3 different brain regions (amygdala, hippocampus, and superior frontal gyrus) based on our previous findings and literature evidence.

Results: We did not observe any differences in functional connectivity during rest, either in the whole brain nor in seed-based connectivity analyses at this adolescent and young adult age.

Conclusions: Our results are reassuring; however, future studies on larger samples and with more sensitive methodologies are needed to confirm these findings.

Citing Articles

An update on the long-term outcomes of prenatal dexamethasone treatment in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Vant Westeinde A, Karlsson L, Messina V, Wallensteen L, Brosamle M, Dal Maso G Endocr Connect. 2023; 12(4).

PMID: 36752813 PMC: 10083667. DOI: 10.1530/EC-22-0400.

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