Abstract
Contemporary research indicates that brain development occurs during childhood and into early adulthood, particularly in certain regions. A critical question is whether premature or atypical hormone exposures impact brain development (e.g., structure) or function (e.g., neuropsychological functioning). The current study enrolled 40 girls (aged 6-8 years) diagnosed with premature adrenarche (PA) and a comparison group of 36 girls with on-time maturation. It was hypothesized that girls with PA would demonstrate lower IQ and performance on several neuropsychological tasks. The potential for a sexually dimorphic neuropsychological profile in PA was also explored. No significant univariate or multivariate group differences emerged for any neuropsychological instrument. However, effect size confidence intervals contained medium-sized group differences at the subscale level. On-time girls performed better on verbal, working memory, and visuospatial tasks. Girls with PA showed improved attention, but not a sexually dimorphic profile. These results, though preliminary, suggest that premature maturation may influence neuropsychological functioning.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 151-156 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2012 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Neuroscience(all)
- Clinical Psychology
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health