Brain white matter alterations in young adult male patients with childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Purpose: This study aimed to detect white matter changes and different effects of thyroid hormone on the white matter integrity in young adult male patients with childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency (CO-GHD), compared with healthy people.

Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (structural imaging and diffusion tensor imaging) was performed in 17 young adult male patients with CO-GHD and 17 healthy male controls. The white matter volume, mean diffusivity (MD) values and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were quantified and compared between two groups (CO-GHD group vs. control group). We assessed the interaction effects between thyroid hormone and groups (CO-GHD group vs. control group) on white matter integrity.

Results: Patients with CO-GHD exhibited similar white matter volumes compared with controls. However, compared with the controls, patients with CO-GHD showed a significant reduction in FA values in six clusters and a substantial increase in MD values in four clusters, mainly involving the corticospinal tracts, corpus callosum and so on. Moreover, after correcting for insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, the significant interaction effects between groups (CO-GHD group vs. control group) and serum free thyroxine levels on MD values were noted in three clusters, mainly involving in superior longitudinal fasciculus and sagittal stratum.

Conclusion: In conclusion, young males with CO-GHD showed white matter changes in multiple brain regions and different effects of thyroid hormone on the white matter integrity.