Cortical thickness correlates of socioemotional difficulties in adults with Turner syndrome

SummaryTurner syndrome (TS) is a non-inherited genetic disorder associated with a specific cognitive phenotype and socioemotional impairments. The present study aimed at characterizing the neuroanatomical basis of socioemotional dysfunctions in TS using the Emotional Quotient inventory (EQ-I) and cortical morphology analysis in 17 individuals with TS (45,X) and 17-age and verbal IQ matched healthy females. Individuals with TS reported significantly greater socioemotional impairment than controls. Cortical thickness analysis showed that participants with TS had an overall thicker cortex than controls, with extensive alterations in the temporal, frontal, parietal and insular regions bilaterally. Using the total EQ-I score as regressor in the cortical thickness analysis revealed a number of brain regions where the relationship between cortical thickness and EQ-I score differed between groups; these areas included brain regions critically involved in socioemotional processes, such as bilateral insula, the anterior cingulate and the orbitofrontal cortex. These results show that socioemotional dysfunctions seen in women with TS are associated with significant alterations in brain morphology.