Abstract #0604

Sex Differences in Brain Metabolites after mild Traumatic Brain Injury: The Role of Hormonal Influences using 3T MRS

Lisa Fuchs^1,2, Katherine Breedlove¹, Tesla Shic¹, Saskia Rusche^2,3,4,5, Nico Sollmann^6,7, Joachim Strobel⁸, Anja Betz^2,9,10, Mees Van den Nieuwenhof¹, Skyler McComas¹, Inga Koerte^2,3,4,5, and Alexander Lin¹

¹Department of Radiology, Center for Clinical Spectroscopy, Brigham and Women´s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ²Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, cBRAIN, University Hospital Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany, ³University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Neuroimaging Core Unit Munich (NICUM), Munich, Germany, ⁴German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany, ⁵Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, ⁶Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany, ⁷Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, ⁸Department of Diagnostic an Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany, ⁹Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany, ¹⁰International Max Planck Research School of Translational Psychiatry, Munich, Germany

Synopsis

Keywords: Spectroscopy, Neuroscience, Brain, Trauma, Sex Differences, Neurosteroids, Estradiol, Progesterone, Brain Metabolites, Women's Health, Women

Motivation: Understanding sex and hormonal influences on brain metabolism following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is crucial for personalized treatment.

Goal(s): Comparing brain metabolites in men and women post-mTBI using 1H-MRS to healthy controls and high/low estradiol and progesterone levels.

Approach: 3T MRS acquired in the posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) and posterior white matter. Hormonal levels based on menstrual cycle phase or contraceptive intake.

Results: Men showed significantly lower N-Acetyl-Aspartate (NAA) levels than women in the PCG post-mTBI. Regarding hormones, only women with high estradiol exhibited significantly increased NAA compared to men. In the control group, these differences could not be seen.

Impact: Our results reveal hormone-dependent metabolic changes in the brain post-mTBI, emphasizing the role of estradiol in neuroprotection and the complexity of intake of oral contraceptives. This could inform future sex-specific therapeutic strategies for mTBI patients.

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