This study sought to examine the influence of age and sex on morphometric measurements of the corpus callosum (CC) within Middle Eastern Arab population, in order to obtain reference data and conduct racial comparisons with previously reported measurements from other ethnicities. Furthermore, it aimed to investigate CC variations that may occur in children with autism. To this end, magnetic resonance images of normal brains were acquired from three different age groups, consisting of children, younger adults, and older adults. Brain images were also acquired from boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The CC length, area, and thickness were measured. The CC length was smaller in children than in the other age groups, but no difference in CC length was found between younger and older adults. The CC area and thickness were greater in younger adults than in children and older adults, and greater in older adults than in children. With regard to sexual dimorphism, the CC area and forebrain volume were larger in male children than in female children. No sex-related differences in CC area or thickness were found in adults. However, the ratio of CC area to the forebrain volume was greater in adult females than in males, owing to the smaller forebrain volume in females. The absolute length of the CC was greater in older adult males than in their female counterparts. In addition, significant differences in CC measurements were found in comparison to measurements obtained from other ethnicities. Lastly, significant reductions in CC area and thickness were found in boys with ASD compared to their neurotypical peers. In conclusion, age and sex significantly influence morphometric measurements of CC in Middle Eastern Arab population. This study points to the presence of racial differences in CC size. Finally, it reveals that children with ASD display a distinct reduction in CC size compared to neurotypical children of the same ethnicity.

中文翻译：

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根据中东阿拉伯人的年龄和性别对胼胝体进行形态测量分析：种族比较和自闭症谱系障碍的临床相关性

本研究旨在检查年龄和性别对中东阿拉伯人口胼胝体 (CC) 形态测量的影响，以获得参考数据并与之前报告的其他种族的测量进行种族比较。此外，它旨在调查可能发生在自闭症儿童中的 CC 变异。为此，从三个不同年龄组（包括儿童、年轻人和老年人）获取了正常大脑的磁共振图像。还从患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的男孩那里获得了大脑图像。测量CC长度、面积和厚度。儿童的 CC 长度小于其他年龄组，但在年轻人和老年人之间没有发现 CC 长度的差异。年轻人的 CC 面积和厚度大于儿童和老年人，老年人的 CC 面积和厚度大于儿童。关于性别二态性，男孩的CC面积和前脑体积大于女孩。在成人中未发现 CC 面积或厚度的性别相关差异。然而，由于女性的前脑体积较小，成年女性的 CC 面积与前脑体积的比率大于男性。老年男性的 CC 绝对长度大于女性。此外，与从其他种族获得的测量值相比，发现 CC 测量值的显着差异。最后，与神经典型的同龄人相比，患有 ASD 的男孩的 CC 面积和厚度显着减少。综上所述，年龄和性别显着影响中东阿拉伯人口中 CC 的形态测量测量。本研究指出 CC 大小存在种族差异。最后，它表明与同一种族的神经典型儿童相比，患有 ASD 的儿童的 CC 大小明显减少。