Research Publications

Abstract

At the population level, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to have a detrimental influence on health and well-being in later life. Research is key to guiding prevention and intervention initiatives by elucidating how childhood adversity experiences impact development. With this objective in mind, our investigation focuses on aspects of adolescent development that are sensitive to ACE exposure and implicated in adult psychopathology: namely, pubertal timing and cognitive self-regulation (i.e., executive functions: EF).

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

We propose a latent space-based statistical network analysis (LatentSNA) method that implements network science in a generative Bayesian framework, preserves neurologically meaningful brain topology and improves statistical power for imaging biomarker detection. LatentSNA (1) addresses the lack of power and inflated type II errors in current analytic approaches when detecting imaging biomarkers, (2) allows unbiased estimation of the influence of biomarkers on behavioral variants, (3) quantifies uncertainty and evaluates the likelihood of estimated biomarker effects against chance and (4) improves brain-behavior prediction in new samples as well as the clinical utility of neuroimaging findings. LatentSNA is broadly applicable across multiple imaging modalities and outcome measures in developing, aging and transdiagnostic cohorts, totaling 8,003 to 11,861 participants. LatentSNA achieves substantial accuracy gains (averaging 110-150%) and replicability improvements (averaging 153%) over existing approaches in moderate to large datasets. As a result, LatentSNA elucidates how network topology is implicated in brain-behavior relationships.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Delay discounting tasks are increasingly used across psychology to examine self-regulation and value-based decision making. These tasks assess how individuals devalue rewards as delays to receipt increase, with responses expected to follow a decreasing pattern. When participants report higher valuation at longer delays-a violation of this expected trend-such responses are often flagged as nonsystematic and, in many cases, excluded from analysis. Although intended to optimize data quality, such exclusions may systematically bias samples and distort downstream inferences. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study ( = 11,307), we examined whether nonsystematic responding covaried with demographic, cognitive/behavioral, and environmental characteristics. Nearly half of participants exhibited at least one nonsystematic responding violation, with greater likelihood among youth from low-income households, low-resource neighborhoods, and racially minoritized backgrounds. Nonsystematic responding was also associated with lower abstract reasoning and higher positive urgency. Violations disproportionately occurred at the earliest presented task delays, suggesting a possible learning effect. These findings raise concerns that data exclusion criteria may bias behavioral samples and alter conclusions in translational research domains such as addiction science, behavioral pharmacology, and public health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Neighborhood disadvantage may adversely affect adolescent sleep health, yet causal evidence is limited and whether these effects differ by sex and pubertal development remain unclear. This study examined the potential causal effect of neighborhood disadvantage on adolescent sleep duration and variability over a two-year period.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Longitudinal evidence on social media use and cognitive abilities trajectory coupling across early adolescence is sparse. In this study, data from the ABCD Study (Baseline N ~ 12,000; M = 9.9; White = 52.0%, Hispanic = 20.3%, Black = 15.0%, Asian = 2.1%, Other = 10.5%; Female = 47.8%) were used to examine whether growth processes in social media use and cognitive performances (i.e., crystallized abilities, inhibitory control/attention, and processing speed) were associated over 4 years in early adolescence. Parallel process latent growth curve models revealed that the trajectory of social media use was negatively coupled with crystallized and inhibitory control/attention performance trajectories, indicating potential trade-offs. Conversely, the trajectories of social media and processing speed were positively coupled, possibly due to practice-based transfer.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Many adolescents experience peer victimization during this critical period for development. Emotion regulation strategies, including cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression, can help adolescents cope with such experiences. Although unidirectional relations between peer victimization and emotion regulation strategies have been examined, few studies have explored the potential bidirectional relations of these variables (Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 141). Using a cross-lagged panel model and data from the ABCD Study, we investigated the reciprocal relations between relational victimization, reputational victimization, overt victimization, cognitive reappraisal, and emotional suppression from 11 to 14 years. The sample consisted of 11,868 USA adolescents (6181 boys, 5664 girls, 17 other), and 6173 identified as White (1784 Black, 2410 Hispanic, 252 Asian, and 1247 Other). Results did not support a bidirectional relation of victimization and emotion regulation strategy. Instead, the type of victimization was associated with specific emotion regulation strategies, but emotional regulation strategies were not significantly associated with any type of peer victimization. Future research should consider the complex contextual and developmental aspects related to promoting emotion-focused coping strategies.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Global warming, urbanization, coal-burning pollution, and global wildfires draw attention to the necessity of bridging gaps in our current understanding of the effects of fine particulate matter (PM) on neurodevelopment. Despite evidence of environmental contaminants having deleterious effects on cognition and neurodevelopment in particularly sensitive areas like the hippocampus that have prolonged plasticity, much of this work examines a single time point (e.g., prenatal exposure) in single site studies. As a result, it is unclear whether deleterious effects accumulate over development.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Although the link between psychopathological and behavioral issues and suicidality is well-established, existing studies often focus on static timepoints, neglecting their dynamic nature and sex differences. This study investigates the trajectories of these symptoms from late childhood to early adolescence and their association with suicidality, while also examining variations by sex.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents in the United States. There is an urgent need to advance understanding of risk mechanisms in adolescents to guide early interventions. While prior research has implicated cognition, neural connectivity, and psychopathology in relation to adolescent suicidal ideation (SI) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), there is a relative lack of clarity regarding the causal structure of these factors, particularly in early adolescence.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Given concerns regarding health implications of adolescent smartphone use, we tested associations of smartphone ownership and age of smartphone acquisition with depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep in early adolescence. We hypothesized that smartphone ownership, especially at a younger age, would be associated with worse health outcomes.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of mental health problems, with self-regulation playing a crucial role as a protective factor. However, little is known about the self-regulation development in adolescence and how this is influenced by environmental factors such as negative life events (NLEs) and parental mental health problems. This study aimed to examine changes in self-regulation and the predictive effect of NLEs and parental mental health problems on self-regulation.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Adolescent depression rates increased during the COVID-19 pandemic globally. Data on risk and resilience factors can inform prevention and intervention strategies during a major adversity.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Pediatric obesity rates are rising, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may contribute by promoting stress-induced weight gain. Few studies have examined the association of ACEs with body mass index (BMI) and youth-reported protective factors, particularly among Latinx and Hispanic youths, who face higher rates of ACEs and obesity.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Poor sleep health is a significant concern in adolescents. This study examines the social epidemiology of sleep health in a large, diverse, national US sample of early adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The gender gap in offending is a robust finding, and this gap extends to violent offending. However, there is limited research that has explored mechanisms explaining this relationship in childhood and early adolescence. This is concerning because early onset of antisocial behavior like this may increase the risk for chronic engagement in such behavior. Cognitive development and parental monitoring both differ by gender, also indicating that these may present mediating mechanisms explaining the gender gap in violent offending during this period of the life-course. Cognitive development pertaining to the dual systems model was examined here, that is, the difference in the concurrent development of impulse control and sensation-seeking, or dual systems imbalance. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the dual systems model imbalance and parental monitoring as mediators of the gender-violent offending relationship. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development-Social Development data were analyzed. This consists of a sample of 2,422 youth aged 9 to 10 years old at baseline (Boys = 52.31%; Girls = 47.69%). Generalized structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and indirect relationships of interest. Findings indicated that boys reported a greater risk for violent offending than girls. Dual systems imbalance significantly mediated this relationship, but parental monitoring did not. These results highlight the importance of fostering healthy cognitive development among young boys to prevent violent offending.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Objective
Sleep disturbances have been linked to suicide risk, but few studies have explored these effects during the transition from childhood to adolescence. This study examined whether specific trajectories of sleep disturbance across childhood and early adolescence were associated with greater suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) for youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ Study (ABCD Study®).

Method
Data from 11,864 participants in the ABCD study (data release 5.1) were used in the current study. Youth STB was assessed by the KSADS suicidality module. The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children measured sleep disturbance. Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) was used to identify sleep trajectories and Bayesian ordinal regression models were used to examine whether sleep trajectories were differentially associated with STB during the 2-, 3-, and 4-year follow-up.

Results
LCGA identified 3 latent sleep profiles (low-stable, high-decreasing, and moderate-increasing). Sleep profiles with greater disturbance including both high-decreasing (OR=1.75, 95% CI [1.06, 2.89], p=0.030) and moderate-increasing (OR=2.34, 95% CI [1.72, 3.14], p<.001), were linked to higher likelihood of more severe STB outcomes compared to the low-stable group.

Conclusion
This study identified distinct developmental trajectories of sleep disturbance across childhood and early adolescence linked to STB. Specifically, early high sleep disturbances that improved and moderate disturbances that worsened over time were both associated with greater STB severity. Difficulty falling and staying asleep and excessive sleepiness were common in both patterns. These findings highlight the need to identify and address early and/or worsening sleep problems as a potential target for suicide prevention strategies.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Few large U.S. cohort studies have examined multidimensional measures of gender diversity; therefore, this study investigates their associations with sociodemographic factors in a national sample of 12- to 13-year-old adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Dramatic increases in adolescent social media use have occurred alongside worsening adolescent mental and behavioral health and associated risk factors, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Understanding these relationships is important for mental health nurses working with adversity-impacted adolescents. This study examined the association between ACEs exposure and problematic social media use (PSMU), and the moderating role of emotional and behavioral dysregulation among a diverse sample of young United States’ (US) adolescents (10-14 years old). A secondary analysis using mixed-effects linear modeling was used to analyze adolescent and parent self-report data collected from baseline through 3-year follow-up in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study). After adjusting for socio-demographic covariates, a significant positive association was found between adolescent cumulative ACEs score at 10-12 years and higher PSMU at 12-14 years: relative to adolescents with low (< 2) ACEs, those with high () ACEs reported higher PSMU (β = 1.5,  < 0.001). Adolescent emotional and behavioral dysregulation did not moderate this association. Findings underscore the importance of ACEs and mental health screening, as well as trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate preventative interventions to promote healthy social media use and reduce risk for PSMU among adversity-impacted adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) has gained significant traction in clinical psychological science. However, HiTOP has not been extensively validated across diverse populations. This study tested measurement invariance-the degree to which latent constructs are measured with equivalence across groups-in HiTOP across racial and ethnic groups using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. These models were followed with rigorous tests of construct validation (i.e., convergent, discriminant, and concurrent) on the latent factors using a Multitrait-Multimethod (MTMM) framework. Comparing across non-Hispanic White ( 7,166), Hispanic ( 2,411), and non-Hispanic Black ( 1,862) youths, the five-factor model comprising , and factors demonstrated configural, metric, scalar, and strict measurement invariance. While each of the five factors demonstrated good evidence of concurrent and convergent validity, evidence for their discriminant validity was not as robust. Establishing measurement invariance and construct validity of the HiTOP model has critical scientific and clinical implications, particularly if dimensions are to be used in addressing mental health disparities in minoritized populations.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Although many studies examine adolescent physical activity (PA) guideline adherence, few focus on the lowest end of the PA spectrum-engaging in no-to-low moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA).

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Little is known about the predictors of loneliness in childhood and adolescence compared with late adulthood. Addressing the methodological limitations of recent studies on environment-loneliness associations, this study investigated the associations between a comprehensive list of built environment attributes in early life and longitudinal trajectories of loneliness from childhood to adolescence, considering together with demographic, personal, and social characteristics.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

This study aimed to examine longitudinal changes in screen time, sleep, and sports/exercise activity in early adolescents in the United States.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Socioeconomic hardship (SES-H) is a known risk factor for adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). This study examined sleep health as a pathway linking SES-H to suicide risk and evaluated the moderating role of Default Mode Network (DMN) coherence. Data came from three waves of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,878). Increased SES-H predicted greater suicidal ideation and attempts. Shorter sleep duration mediated the association with ideation, while high DMN coherence attenuated the indirect effect of SES-H on ideation via sleep. Findings highlight sleep health as a mechanism connecting socioeconomic adversity to suicidality and suggest DMN coherence may function as a neuroprotective factor for youth resilience.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Children born preterm face elevated risks of atypical brain development and neurodevelopmental difficulties. However, little is known about childhood outcomes specifically associated with premature birth that are unconfounded by medical complications. This study takes a systematic approach to examine neural and behavioral outcomes in non-medically complex preterm children. The aim is to identify unconfounded neurobehavioral biomarkers and mechanisms that contribute to childhood vulnerability following premature birth, ultimately informing the development of effective interventions to mitigate adverse outcomes in this population.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the risk and protective factors associated with susceptibility to e-cigarette and cigarette use among U.S. adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

An individual’s risk of substance use disorder (SUD) is shaped by potent biosocial factors. Family history is one of the strongest predictors, yet its impact on the brain before substance exposure remains unclear. Here we apply network control theory to estimate transition energies (TEs)-the input required for the brain to shift between activity patterns-in youth from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Family history of SUD was associated with altered TE, expressed as sex-divergent effects across brain scales alongside elevated TE in specific regions in both sexes. Females with a family history showed higher TE in the default mode network, whereas males showed lower TE in dorsal and ventral attention networks. These findings demonstrate sex-specific influences of family history on brain dynamics and underscore the importance of considering sex as a biological variable when studying adolescent neurodevelopment and mechanisms of SUD risk.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Metabolic and depressive disorders are major chronic global health concerns, often co-occurring and mutually reinforcing each other. Thus, understanding risk and protective factors underlying their development is crucial for identifying effective preventive strategies. Participants included N = 10,446 participants (31,418 observations) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study aged 10-15 years. Primary outcomes were internalizing problem scores, and random slopes quantifying the within-person coupling between waist-to-height ratio and internalizing problems. Predictors included early-life adversity measures and potentially protective environments measured at the family, community, peer, and school level. Early-life adversity and protective environment scores were examined as moderators of the coupling between body composition and internalizing problems. Early-life adversity was significantly associated with the magnitude of within-person coupling (random slope); individuals with higher early-life adversity exhibited a stronger coupling between waist-to-height ratio and internalizing problems (r²=4.6%, t = 26.6, p < 10¹⁰). The adversity-related amplification of waist-to-height ratio and internalizing coupling was mitigated by the protective environment score (t = -5.3, p < 10), with family and community components showing the strongest effects. Early-life adversity intensifies the coupling between waist-to-height ratio and internalizing problems, but protective environments may mitigate these effects. These findings motivate research into interventions that reduce early adversity and strengthen protective environments to improve youth mental and physical health.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Children differ in brain cortical morphometry and microstructure, which together form the structural foundation for cognition. Cortical structure is highly heritable, but whether heritability varies across socioeconomic status (SES) is unknown. In this preregistered study, we estimated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability of cortical thickness, surface area, sulcal depth, and grey-/white-matter contrast (GWC) among 9,080 US 10-year-olds. We then tested whether genetic and environmental contributions were moderated by parental SES, defined as a composite of income, education, and neighbourhood deprivation. Cortical thickness and surface area showed high heritability, while sulcal depth and GWC exhibited moderate heritability. However, among children from lower-SES backgrounds, cortical differences were less genetically related and more uniquely environmentally related, at times exceeding genetic contributions. These findings suggest that in contexts of socioeconomic disadvantage, children’s brain structure reflect lived experience more strongly than previously recognized.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Air pollution, fueled by industrialization, vehicular emissions, and wildfires, poses a global public health challenge with significant effects on physical and neurological health. Fine particulate matter (PM.), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and ozone (O) have been implicated in systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and compromised blood-brain barrier integrity. Adolescents, undergoing critical periods of brain maturation involving synaptic pruning and myelination, may be especially vulnerable to such exposures. While prior studies have primarily examined cross-sectional associations between air pollution and brain structure in adults, longitudinal data in adolescents remain limited. This study utilized data from 10,947 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest U.S. adolescent neurodevelopmental cohort, to investigate associations between combined exposure to PM., NO, and O and cortical thickness over time. Exposure estimates were derived from geocoded residential addresses linked to regulatory air monitoring data. Structural MRI data were collected across two to three waves. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate associations between pollutant exposure and cortical thickness, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic confounders. Greater exposure to PM. and NO was associated with accelerated cortical thinning in frontal and temporal regions, areas important for executive function and socioemotional processing. O showed minimal association with cortical morphology. These findings suggest that air pollution may alter neurodevelopmental trajectories in adolescence, with potential implications for cognitive and emotional outcomes. Policy efforts aimed at reducing air pollution could be critical for promoting healthy brain development. Future research should extend follow-up and incorporate cognitive and functional assessments to elucidate long-term consequences.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed and subtyped solely based on clinical traits, which are prone to subjective judgment and lack of reliability. Also, the clinical subtyping does not offer a clear indication of the patient outcome. Here, we propose to use a neuroimaging data-driven approach for subtyping, using a semi-supervised learning method to decipher the heterogeneity among ADHD patients. We identified three distinct subtypes of ADHD with abnormal cortical thickness (CT) compared to the controls, namely, the under-developed (lower CT), over-developed (higher CT), and mixed subtypes, based on 6509 adolescents from the Adolescent Brian Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The findings were reliably repeated in external datasets. Interestingly, we found significantly lower cognitive scores together with worse socioeconomic status in the under-developed subtype, and the over-developed subtype had the worst response to stimulant medication. We further revealed significant differences in gene expressions and neurotransmitter distributions among the subtypes, pointing out that the upregulation of the dopamine and other excitatory pathways may play a strong role in the under-developed and mixed subtypes but not the over-developed subtype, which may explain their difference response to stimulant medication. Our study suggested that neuroimaging-based ADHD subtyping may uncover the disease heterogeneity in clinical presentations, treatment response, genetics, and neurobiology, and thereby, may potentially guide personalized therapy.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Adolescent adversity could have lasting effects on mental health, potentially through neurodevelopmental changes. This study used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model to examine how adverse experiences, brain development, and behavioural and emotional problems are linked over time in the ABCD study (N ≈ 12.000, USA). We found a positive association between family conflict and behavioural and emotional problems: family conflict was related to increased problems at 10 – 12 years (β = 0.06, p = 0.002), and vice versa. At 12 – 14 years, behavioural and emotional problems were also related to increased family conflict (β = 0.20, p < 0.001). Neighbourhood perception was related to behavioural and emotional problems and white matter microstructure. At 10 – 12 years, low neighbourhood safety was related to lower levels of white matter microstructure (β = -0.04, p = 0.041) and vice versa. It was also associated with more behavioural and emotional problems (β = 0.05, p = 0.015) and vice versa. Behavioural and emotional problems were positively associated with neighbourhood perception for adolescents with more friends (χ²(1) = 9.82, p = 0.02). These findings underscore the need to consider socio-environmental adversity when examining adolescent brain development and mental health.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Cognitive abilities are closely tied to mental health from early childhood. This study explores how neurobiological units of analysis of cognitive abilities-multimodal neuroimaging and polygenic scores (PGS)-represent this connection. Using data from over 11,000 children (ages 9-10) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we applied multivariate models to predict cognitive abilities from mental health, neuroimaging, PGS, and environmental factors. Neuroimaging included 45 MRI-derived features (e.g. task/resting-state fMRI, structural MRI, diffusion imaging). Environmental factors encompassed socio-demographics (e.g. parental income/education), lifestyle (e.g. sleep, extracurricular activities), and developmental adverse events (e.g. parental use of alcohol/tobacco, pregnancy complications). Cognitive abilities were predicted by mental health (r = 0.36), neuroimaging (r = 0.54), PGS (r = 0.25), and environmental factors (r = 0.49). Commonality analyses showed that neuroimaging (66%) and PGS (21%) explained most of the cognitive-mental health link. Environmental factors accounted for 63% of the cognitive-mental health link, with neuroimaging and PGS explaining 58% and 21% of this environmental contribution, respectively. These patterns remained consistent over two years. Findings highlight the importance of neurobiological units of analysis for cognitive abilities in understanding the cognitive-mental health connection and its overlap with environmental factors.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Most children recover from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but some experience persistent neurocognitive effects. Understanding is limited due to methodological differences and a lack of pre-injury data. The study aimed to assess changes in neurocognitive outcomes in children following mTBI compared to orthopedic injury (OI) and non-injured (NI) controls, while accounting for pre-injury functioning.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Family history of substance use (FHSU), along with sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, has been identified as a key risk factor for adolescent substance use and progression to substance use disorders (SUD). However, the interaction between distinct sociodemographic and psychosocial profiles in adolescents with FHSU and constitutional factors, such as psychopathological symptom severity, impulsivity, and reward processing, remains unclear. Given the complexity of these factors, it is crucial to explore how these elements contribute to the differential vulnerability to SUD among youth with family history of substance use. Particularly as, the identification of clinically relevant subgroups of at-risk youth may inform precision prevention and treatment approaches to reduce adverse outcomes related to SUDs.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The longitudinal trajectory of body mass index (BMI) and brain structure development during peri-adolescence is not clearly defined in offspring prenatally exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) versus unexposed offspring.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Understanding the factors of risk and resilience for youth substance use requires interdisciplinary and multi-level methodological approaches that integrate the community of study into the research process. This protocol describes a novel, community-engaged, modified convergent mixed-methods design to investigate factors of neighborhood social risk and resilience (NSRR) in relation to substance use and neurocognition among Hispanic adolescents living in neighborhoods with unequal opportunities and restricted access to resources. We propose a design for integrating primary qualitative data with secondary data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest longitudinal adolescent cohort in the United States. Guided by community-engaged research practices, and socio-ecological and health disparities frameworks, the protocol centers on the experience of young adolescents. Our design prioritizes partnerships among academic, community, and grassroots organizations to co-develop study design conceptualization, recruitment and analysis plan, along with the interpretation and dissemination of results. The secondary quantitative data analysis leverages advanced statistical modeling to examine relationships between neighborhood level factors and substance use, providing measurable insights both at the population level and at the neighborhood level. Qualitative interviews with adolescents provide an opportunity for collecting a rich, community-grounded perspective that captures the lived experience of adolescents in how neighborhood factors shape adolescent health behaviors. Findings will be synthesized using data integration and shared through academic, community-facing, and policy channels. This protocol highlights the importance of a community-engaged mixed-methods design that strengthens the cultural relevance, actionability, and validity of adolescent substance use research by embedding community voices throughout all phases of the research process.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

To understand the relationships among ACEs, PCEs, and diet quality in early adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Cognitive control of emotion is important for social-emotional functioning. Yet, we know little about the development of implicit cognitive control of emotion (iCCOE) or its neural underpinnings during the start of adolescence. This study aimed to characterize the neural underpinnings of iCCOE in early adolescence and examine how iCCOE behavior and neural activation are related to sex and pubertal development. We used baseline data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study (N = 7,897; age 8.9-11.0 years). Participants completed an emotional n-back task during functional MRI. We defined iCCOE as the interaction between cognitive load (2-back versus 0-back) and stimulus type (emotional faces vs. neutral faces or places). Pubertal development was measured by parent-report and hormone levels. Neural activation strongly increased in cognitive control regions during 2-back trials and to places; it decreased in the lateral parietal cortex during emotional versus neutral faces at 2-back. Test-retest reliability was low for iCCOE behavior and neural activation. There were no sex differences in iCCOE behavior or neural activation, and limited effects of pubertal development. Thus, the priority should be to develop a task that reliably captures interindividual differences in iCCOE. This would lead to better understanding of the development of iCCOE during adolescence in health and disease.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

This study elucidates the intricate relationship between stressful life events and the development of ADHD symptoms in children, acknowledging the considerable variability in individual responses. By examining these differences, we aim to uncover the unique combinations of factors contributing to varying levels of vulnerability and resilience among children.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Nicotine use is increasing in prevalence among adolescents and emerging adults in the United States. While young adulthood nicotine use has been linked to alterations in white matter tissue brain structure, little is known about late childhood nicotine initiation and its associations with white matter microstructural development. In this study, nicotine initiators (ages 9-16, n = 556) were compared on white matter regions-of-interest (ROIs) to sociodemographically matched peers (n = 556) using a subsample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (baseline to year-4 follow-up). Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity metrics were examined across 11 diffusion tensor imaging ROIs. Linear mixed-effects models examined nicotine initiation while controlling for prenatal nicotine exposure, parental history of problematic alcohol/drug use, and other substance use initiation. Findings indicated nicotine initiation-by-age effects for widespread cortical and subcortical fractional anisotropy ROIs, which maintained significance after multiple comparison correction and conducting sensitivity analyses covarying for pubertal staging. These ROIs did not correlate with any dose-dependent (e.g., lifetime use days) measurements among the nicotine initiators. Additionally, no significant findings were observed for mean diffusivity, or exploratory interactions with sex. Overall, neurodevelopmental effects of nicotine use on white matter integrity may appear early and are associated with trajectories of white matter development, yet continued investigations of nicotine initiation and escalation across the lifespan and its relationships with structural neuroimaging outcomes are needed.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest set of white matter fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain. In humans, it is essential for coordinating sensorimotor responses and performing associative or executive functions. Identifying which genetic variants underpin CC morphometry can provide molecular insights into the CC’s role in mediating cognitive processes. We developed and used an artificial intelligence based tool to extract the midsagittal CC’s total and regional area and thickness in two large public datasets. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of European participants (combined N = 46,685) with generalization to the non-European participants (combined N = 7040). Post-GWAS analyses implicated prenatal intracellular organization and cell growth patterns, and high heritability in regions of open chromatin. Results suggest programmed cell death mediated by the immune system drives the thinning of the posterior body and isthmus. Genetic overlap, and causal genetic liability, between the CC, cerebral cortex features, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity, bipolar disorders, and Parkinson’s disease were identified.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Conduct disorder and childhood head injuries frequently co-occur and are linked to a higher risk of later delinquency. While both are known to disrupt reward-related neural circuits, this study investigated whether their combined presence leads to a unique disruption in these pathways, potentially accounting for the increased risk of delinquency.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Adolescence is a sensitive period typified by marked cognitive and neural development, during which modifiable lifestyle factors may be particularly relevant. However, longitudinal associations of modifiable lifestyle factors-including sleep, screen time, and extracurricular activities-with cognitive development over time remain to be investigated, leaving the directionality of these relationships unclear.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Air pollution is a ubiquitous neurotoxicant linked to altered structural brain connectivity. Sleep may offer neuroprotection through its roles in brain waste clearance and immune regulation. Using Fitbit-derived sleep data and multi-shell diffusion MRI from 2178 children (ages 10-13) in the ABCD Study®, we examined whether sleep moderated associations between prenatal and childhood exposure to PM, NO, and O and white matter microstructure. Restriction spectrum imaging yielded restricted normalized isotropic (RNI) and directional (RND) metrics, averaged across tracts. Pollution exposure was estimated at prenatal and childhood (ages 9-10) residences. Linear mixed-effects models tested sleep-by-pollution interactions on RNI/RND. Childhood NO and prenatal O interacted with sleep duration and efficiency, respectively, to influence RND. Among children with similar pollutant exposure, those with longer sleep duration and higher sleep efficiency had lower RND than peers with poorer sleep. This suggests that healthy sleep may buffer adverse effects of air pollution on white matter integrity.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

We sought to examine whether global structural changes in grey and white matter predict adolescent internalizing symptoms using a 3-year longitudinal design. Using secondary data analysis from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, 6,564 participants (53% male, 55% White) were included in analyses. We used linear mixed-effects models to predict adolescent internalizing symptoms (measured at ages 12/13 via caregiver report and self-report) from structural brain metrics. Percent change scores were calculated for whole brain, left, and right hemisphere cortical thickness and global white matter volume (WMV; measured at ages 9/10 and 11/12). Cortical thinning in the left hemisphere, but not the right hemisphere, between ages 9/10 and 11/12 predicted internalizing symptoms at ages 12/13 for caregiver (β = -.03, = -2.33, = .020; β = -.02, = -1.60, = .110) and youth (β = -.03, = -2.40, = .016; β = -.01, = -0.92, = .356) reports. WMV predicted internalizing symptoms as reported by caregivers (β = -.04, = -3.57, < .001), but not youth (β = -.02, = -1.31, = .191). No significant interaction effects for sex were found. Accelerated cortical thinning, particularly in the left hemisphere, and lower WMV may reflect risk factors for developing future internalizing symptoms. Future research should continue to focus on the identification of global neurobiological markers to aid in early diagnosis and treatment of adolescent mental health disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The Behavioral Inhibition and Activation Systems (BIS/BAS) are central to emotional regulation, yet their genetic and neural mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we examined how polygenic risk for BIS/BAS relates to striatal structural connectivity and emotional vulnerability during adolescence-a critical period for affective problems onset. Using data from 1,929 adolescents (average age 9.95 years, 50.39% female) in the ABCD Study, we found that BIS and BAS polygenic risks exerted dissociable influences on striatal structural gradient (SSG), delineating distinct neurobiological pathways to anxiety and depression. Elevated BIS risk was linked to greater anxiety symptoms, whereas increased BAS risk related more strongly to depressive and withdrawn features. Altogether, our findings elucidate a neuroanatomical pleiotropy mechanism, whereby shared striatal connectivity architectures differentially channel genetic susceptibilities into distinct symptom dimensions, thereby advancing our understanding of the neural pathways underlying emotional vulnerability across diverse psychiatric phenotypes. (a) Construction of PRS. Variants associated with BIS and BAS were extracted from GWAS data. Effect weights were calculated, and a weighted sum was performed to derive the PRS scores, with detailed procedures outlined in the Methods section. (b) Framework for striatal structural connectopic mapping. Probabilistic tractography was conducted from the striatal volumetric seed region. The resulting connectivity matrix, denoted as A, was subjected to dimensionality reduction using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), resulting in matrix B. Subsequently, the similarity matrix S was computed utilizing the η² Coefficient. The graph’s Laplacian was then decomposed into its eigenvectors, which correspond to the connectopic maps of the seed region. (c) Simplified Schematic of a Multivariate Model Investigating Gene-Brain-Behavior Correlations. Green arrows indicate mediation pathways involving BIS PRS. Orange dashed arrows indicate mediation pathways involving BAS PRS. Grey arrows denote significant associations between variables without mediation. GWAS, Genome-Wide Association Study. PRS, Polygenic Risk Scores. BIS, Behavioral Inhibition System. BAS, Behavioral Activation System. BAS_rr, BAS Reward Responsiveness.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

It is important to unveil factors that differentiate persistent and distressing psychosis-like experiences (PLEs) in youth from more normative transient, non-distressing PLEs, as the former have been associated with greater symptom, cognitive, and functional impairment and psychopathology risk, including psychosis. This study examined (a) whether certain baseline latent profiles can differentiate PLE groups (persistent/transient, distressing/non-distressing) and (b) whether baseline profile membership predicts psychopathology symptoms and academic/social functioning at follow-up.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The association among screen time, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom development, and brain structure, and the neural mechanisms underlying the association between screen time and ADHD symptoms remain unclear. This study examines the relationships between the three using large-scale longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Data on screen time, ADHD symptoms (measured via the Child Behavior Checklist), and brain structure were extracted from 10,116 children at baseline (ages 9-10) and 7880 children at a two-year follow-up. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess the association between baseline screen time and changes in ADHD symptoms and brain structure after two years. Additionally, the mediating role of brain structure on the association between screen time and ADHD symptoms was examined. The results showed that screen time was associated with increased ADHD symptoms (β = 0.032, p = 0.001) and reduced cortical thickness in specific regions (right temporal pole: β = -0.036, false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected p = 0.020; left superior frontal gyrus: β = -0.028, FDR-corrected p = 0.020; and left rostral middle frontal gyrus: β = -0.030, FDR-corrected p = 0.020). Total cortical volume partially mediated the relationship between screen time and ADHD symptoms (β = 0.001, p = 0.023) at baseline. These findings suggest that screen time is associated with ADHD symptoms and brain structure, as well as their development, potentially providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the association between screen time and ADHD symptomatology.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with elevated internalizing symptoms. However, the psychological processes through which discrimination affects internalizing symptoms in ethno-racially minoritized youth are less understood. The current study examined the role of emotion dysregulation in the association between racial/ethnic discrimination and internalizing symptoms. Participants were 5,693 ethno-racially minoritized youth (M = 9.89; 48% female; 42.3% Hispanic) enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Path analysis revealed that experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination were associated with greater emotion dysregulation in the following year, which was, in turn, associated with greater internalizing symptoms concurrently, covarying for sex assigned at birth and caregiver education level. Findings suggest emotion dysregulation may play a key role in the link between racial/ethnic discrimination and internalizing symptom development in minoritized youth. Targeting emotion dysregulation in clinical interventions to address internalizing symptoms related to racial/ethnic discrimination may improve well-being in this population.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Puberty has long been identified as a risk factor for psychosis, although retrospective, cross-sectional, and single-sex indicators of puberty have limited our ability to pinpoint biopsychosocial mechanisms contributing to risk. The current study determined whether individual differences in the timing (onset) and tempo (pace) of pubertal development conferred risk for psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in youth across biological sex.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with alterations in behavior and cognitive and brain development. However, the effects of low levels of PAE on the brain and behavior remain unclear. In the current study, we aimed to investigate longitudinal changes in the brain and behavior in children with low levels of PAE compared with well-matched unexposed children.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Subtle behavioral and cognitive symptoms precede schizophrenia (SCZ) and appear in individuals with elevated risk based on polygenic risk scores (SCZ-PRS) and family history of psychosis (SCZ-FH). However, most SCZ-PRS studies focus on European ancestry youth, limiting generalizability. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether SCZ-FH reflects common-variant polygenic risk or broader SCZ liability.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

While children with suicidal ideation or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are at high risk of suicide, most do not attempt suicide. This study aims to identify predictors of first suicide attempts among children with suicidal thoughts or NSSI. We utilized longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study to examine a broad range of risk factors in children reporting suicidal ideation (N = 344, mean age = 9.93) or NSSI (N = 261, mean age = 9.88) at baseline, predicting first attempt of suicide during a 4-year follow-up. Predictive models were developed through bivariate feature selection followed by Discrete-Time Random Survival Forest machine learning, identifying predictors of subsequent suicide attempts. During the follow-up, 40 of 344 children (11.6%) with suicidal ideation, and 32 of 261 children (12.3%) with NSSI at baseline initiated suicide attempts. For suicidal ideation, risk for attempting suicide increased with caregiver-reported NSSI, witnessing domestic violence, severity of suicidal thoughts, being female, online social screen use, and less parental supervision. For NSSI, risk of suicide attempt increased with witnessing domestic violence, anxiety disorders, caregiver-reported NSSI, being female, and disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders. Our findings shed light on the development of population-based suicide prevention strategies for children.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Exclusionary school discipline practices (EDPs), such as school suspensions, are increasingly linked to poorer academic outcomes and increased contact with the legal system. However, the short-term effects of EDPs on other aspects of adolescent well-being, including mental health concerns and perceived unfair treatment, have received limited attention. Using five waves of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (n = 11,831, 48% female, 52% White, 15% Black, 19% Hispanic), the current study examined how EDPs predict changes in externalizing and internalizing symptoms as well as perceived unfair treatment by a teacher. After adjusting for baseline EDPs, externalizing concerns, and covariates, we found that EDPs reported at follow-up waves were associated with increased odds of youth- and caregiver-reported externalizing symptoms, youth-reported internalizing symptoms, and youth-reported perceived unfair treatment by a teacher at the subsequent wave. These associations were observed above and beyond each outcome’s predicted trajectory. However, baseline EDPs showed limited and inconsistent associations with overall symptom trajectories, suggesting that single time point EDP effects on adolescents’ overall trajectories may underestimate the cumulative impact of repeated discipline over time. This is particularly concerning given that most disciplined adolescents experienced repeated EDPs. Race and ethnicity did not consistently or robustly moderate these associations. Findings underscore the need for interventions that minimize the repeated use of exclusionary discipline.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Aberrant reward and inhibitory control processing have been implicated in mechanistic models of irritability theorizing that better inhibitory control may be an effective modulator of exaggerated reward responses and thus, irritable behavior. Despite emerging research supporting the roles of both inhibition and reward independently in irritability, research has yet to examine the interplay of neural networks subserving these processes. Leveraging fMRI baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N = 4664, M = 9.98, SD = 0.62), interactions between preadolescent irritability, inhibitory control, and reward processing were examined. The stop signal task and monetary incentive delay task were used to probe inhibitory control (successful and failed) and reward (receipt/non-receipt of possible reward), respectively. Neural activation and functional connectivity with amygdala and ventral striatal regions were explored through whole brain analyses. Preadolescents with higher levels of irritability exhibited aberrant associations in activation as well as ventral striatal connectivity during successful and failed inhibitory control and reward receipt. While exact patterns varied by region, these interactions were largely driven by (1) opposite patterns of activation/connectivity across reward conditions or (2) stronger associations between inhibition and reward non-receipt in preadolescents with higher levels of irritability. This study observed inhibitory control and reward processing functional differences within the same neural networks, supporting the previously theorized interplay of hypersensitive bottom-up reward processing and deficient top-down inhibitory control in youth irritability. Understanding this interplay is essential to develop targeted preadolescent irritability interventions that enhance inhibitory control and mitigate exaggerated reward responses.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Overwhelming evidence suggests that adults with chronic pain have altered brain structure and related networks. However, little is currently known regarding changes in structural gray matter and structural covariance networks (SCNs) in children with multisite pain (MP) and their potential relationships with biopsychosocial characteristics.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder and psychotic disorders, although clinically distinct, share overlapping characteristics, particularly in the domain of social cognition. Both autistic traits and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are increasingly conceptualized as existing along a continuum within the general population. Empathy, a fundamental aspect of social cognition, is commonly associated with both conditions. This study examined the relationships among autistic traits, PLEs, and empathy in a large general-population sample of preadolescents using network analysis. Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, including 9,214 participants (age range = 8.92 to 11.08 years; 4,850 males). Autistic traits were assessed using the abbreviated version of the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition, which measures social and communication difficulties and restricted and repetitive behaviors. PLEs were evaluated using the Prodromal Questionnaire, Brief Child Version, which assesses hallucinations, thought delusions, and grandiose delusions. Associations among these constructs were modeled using both an undirected Gaussian graphical model and a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Higher empathy scores were negatively associated with elevated autistic traits (social and communication interactions and restricted and repetitive behaviors) and with PLEs (grandiose delusions). Moreover, higher levels of autistic traits were positively associated with greater distress related to grandiose delusions and hallucinations. Centrality analysis identified hallucinations as a key node in the network, a result supported by the DAG. Sex-specific analyses revealed subtle differences in network connectivity between males and females. These findings highlight the intricate interplay among autistic traits, PLEs, and empathy during preadolescence and emphasize empathy’s negative relationship with autistic traits. Overall, the results offer insight into shared social cognitive processes across neurodevelopmental and psychosis-spectrum traits.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Fundamental mechanisms that control the brain’s ability to dynamically respond to cognitive demands are poorly understood, especially during periods of accelerated neural and cognitive maturation, such as adolescence. Using a sparsity-promoting feedback control framework we investigated the controllability of the adolescence functional connectome. Critical feedback costs associated with a region’s control action on itself and the rest of the brain were estimated using resting-state fMRI data from an early longitudinal sample in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n = 1394; median (IQR) age = 10.1 (1.1) years at baseline and 12.1 (1.1) years at follow-up). A highly reproducible, core set of predominantly highly connected regions retained their control action over the connectome under high feedback costs. They included posterior visual areas, retrosplenial cortex, cuneus and precuneus, superior parietal lobule, ventral temporal cortex and dorsolateral and lateral prefrontal cortices, i.e., both developed and developing brain regions. These regions were central to the topological organization of the connectome, consistently engaged during spontaneous coordination of resting-state networks, and overlapped with cognitive and topological brain hubs that play ubiquitous roles in cognitive function and the organization of the connectome. Also, most received (integrated) and distributed approximately equal amounts of neural information. These regions’ control action was developmentally stable, i.e., critical feedback costs did not change significantly during puberty, suggesting that, despite ongoing maturation and topological changes in the adolescent brain, fundamental mechanisms of system controllability may be fairly well developed to facilitate information processing and response to cognitive demands.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

To determine the relationship between various measures of neighborhood quality and adolescent screen use in a demographically diverse, U.S. cohort of early adolescents.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Youth substance use increases risk for developing substance use disorders. Previous work using the longitudinal ABCD Study® found distinct neurocognitive factors contribute to youth tobacco and alcohol initiation. Using data for 7776 ABCD Study® participants, this study expands prior work to examine prospective associations between early neurocognitive factors (general ability, executive function, learning and memory, and visuospatial and mental rotation) at ages 9-10 years (sample enrolled 2016-2018) and cannabis use by ages 13-14 years. We also test whether positive and negative tobacco smoking, alcohol, and cannabis expectancies mediate associations between neurocognitive factors and substance use initiation. Higher performance in general ability was associated with increased risk [OR = 1.23, 95 % CI 1.07-1.42] for cannabis use; positive cannabis expectancies mediated 72.6 % (p-value = 0.003) of the effect [Indirect effect: OR = 1.16, 95 % CI 1.12-1.20] and negative expectancies mediated -10.2 % (p-value = 0.04) of the effect [Indirect effect: OR = 0.98, 95 % CI 0.97-0.99]. Accuracy in visuospatial reasoning was protective [OR = 0.83, 95 % CI 0.73-0.95)] for cannabis use; the effect was not mediated by expectancies. Positive alcohol use expectancy mediated 36.3 % of the association between general ability and early alcohol use [OR = 1.15, 95 % CI 1.05-1.25; Indirect effect: OR = 1.05, 95 % CI 1.03-1.07]. Associations with early tobacco use were independent of tobacco expectancies. Developmentally appropriate expectancy-based interventions lowering positive expectancies and bolstering negative expectancies may be effective for preventing youth cannabis initiation. Interventions lowering positive alcohol expectancies may help prevent youth alcohol use.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Social media exposure may influence early cannabis use behaviors in adolescents, potentially increasing the risk of future problematic use. Minimal prior research has investigated the role of cannabis expectancies (i.e., beliefs about the anticipated positive or negative effects of cannabis) and their role in mediating cannabis use initiation in early adolescence.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

In task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), collinearity between task regressors in time series models may impact power. When collinearity is identified after data collection, researchers often modify the model in an effort to reduce collinearity. However, some model adjustments are suboptimal and may introduce bias into parameter estimates. Although relevant to many task-fMRI studies, we highlight these issues using the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We introduce a procedure to more directly quantify the impact of collinearity on task-relevant measures: a contrast-based variance inflation factor (cVIF). We also show that collinearity reduction strategies-such as omitting regressors for specific task components, using impulse regressors for extended activations, and ignoring response time variability-can bias contrast estimates. Finally, we present a “Saturated” model that includes all task components, including response times, aiming to reduce these biases while maintaining comparable levels of collinearity, as assessed by cVIF.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Objective
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth are at high risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) including suicidal ideation, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide attempt. We compared total SITB endorsements during a four-year period between three groups: TGD youth with high gender-related social stress, TGD youth with low gender-related social stress (TGD+High-Stress; TGD+Low-Stress), and non-TGD youth. We further identified risk and resiliency correlates of three longitudinal SITB trajectories (NSSI, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt) accounting for gender-related social stress and other known robust risk factors.

Method
This study (N=11,851) uses longitudinal data spanning ages 10-14 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (release 5.1), of which 4% were TGD youth. ANOVAs compared mean SITB endorsements across groups. Three mixed-effects logistic regressions identified correlates of SITB trajectories during the study.

Results
On average, TGD+High-Stress experienced more SITB events than TGD+Low-Stress and non-TGD youth respectively. Longitudinal results found TGD compared to non-TGD youth experienced higher NSSI and suicidal ideation risk regardless of gender-related social stress. TGD+High-Stress but not TGD+Low-Stress youth had greater suicide attempt risk than non-TGD youth. Higher psychopathology symptoms and family conflict were associated with higher NSSI and suicidal ideation risk. Only school involvement was protective against ideation and NSSI risk.

Conclusion
TGD youth experience higher SITB risk, particularly when facing higher gender-related social stressors at home or school. We urgently need interventions supporting positive connections between TGD youth and their families and peers.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability. While neuroanatomical abnormalities in adults with MDD have been widely investigated, atypical brain development in early adolescents with MDD remains largely unexplored. This study utilized the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset, including baseline and two-year follow-up data. Participants were divided into MDD (n = 126) and healthy control (HC, n = 7543) groups. To address baseline group imbalances, propensity score matching (PSM) was applied. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the group × time interaction effects on cortical volume, adjusting for intracranial volume (ICV), age, and sex. Post-hoc analyses further explored the cortical structural development patterns in both groups. Three distinct patterns of cortical volume changes were observed in MDD participants aged 10-11 years. The first pattern showed decreased cortical volume across widespread regions, including frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes in MDD, while the HC group remained stable. The second pattern indicated increases in the orbitofrontal, precentral, and anterior cingulate cortices in HC, while the MDD group remained stable. The third pattern revealed significant cortical reductions in MDD participants in the inferior and middle temporal regions and posterior cingulate cortex, contrasting with increases in the HC group. These atypical developmental trajectories suggest distinct genetic and and biological processes underlying early adolescent MDD, underscoring the importance of early identification of neurodevelopmental deviations to guide targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Childhood ADHD is associated with greater risk of depression in adolescence and adulthood, with emotion regulation (ER) identified as a potential mediator. However, it remains unclear how distinct domains of ER differentially relate to ADHD and depression symptoms in early adolescence.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Impulsivity is among the strongest correlates of substance involvement (i.e. a broad continuum of substance-related behaviors), and distinct domains (e.g. sensation seeking [SS] and urgency) are differentially correlated, phenotypically and genetically, with unique substance involvement stages. Examining whether polygenic influences for distinct impulsivity domains are differentially predictive of early substance use initiation – a major risk factor for later problematic use – may improve our understanding of the role of impulsivity in addiction etiology.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Psychotic-Like Experiences (PLEs) during early adolescence may precede development of later psychotic disorders. Given evidence of environmental challenges contributing to the psychotic disorder psychopathology, this study examined if child temperament mediates the association between the family environment and PLEs.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Given the association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) among adolescents/adults, and the high prevalence of SITBs in preadolescents, this study aims to identify modifiable preadolescent factors by investigating the sleep problems’ mediating role.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period of neural development and a sensitive window for the emergence of psychiatric symptoms. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) provides a unique opportunity to investigate brain-behavior associations. However, the role of sex-specific differences in these associations remains underexplored, despite their potential to reveal heterogeneous neurobiological mechanisms and guide personalized interventions. In this study, we analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, comprising 7,892 adolescents (9-10 years old, 3,896 females). Using Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) and a rigorous cross-validation framework, we identified associations between cortical-to-cortical (Cor-Cor) and cortical-to-subcortical (Cor-Sub) functional connectivity and eight symptom domains from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Unlike previous approaches, we directly examined sex differences within the brain-behavior mappings by applying separate CCA models in boys and girls to uncover differential connectivity-behavior relationships. Our analysis uncovered two reproducible components for both Cor-Cor and Cor-Sub mappings on the whole cohort (r = 0.130, p < 0.001, r = 0.122, p < 0.01 for Cor-Cor; r = 0.157, p < 0.001, r = 0.115, p < 0.01 for Cor-Sub). Importantly, sex-stratified analyses revealed distinct patterns of brain-behavior associations. Among females, high loadings on attention and thought problems were linked to high loadings on default mode network, whereas in males, attention and thought problems were linked to sensorimotor networks. Compared to females, males also had higher loadings on internalizing symptoms, such as anxious/depressed and withdrawn/depressed symptoms, coupled with lower loadings on putamen and hippocampus functional connectivity. These findings suggest there may be fundamentally different brain-behavior mappings across the sexes in adolescence, in addition to previously reported sex differences in functional connectivity and behavioral profiles. By revealing sex-specific neural correlates of psychiatric symptoms in early adolescence, this study paves the way for sex-informed strategies in clinical risk assessment and personalized treatment design.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Earlier timing and faster tempo of puberty have been associated with altered brain development and increased mental health problems in adolescents, particularly females. However, the role of oestradiol (E2) in these associations is unclear.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on developing adolescents that, to date, remain incompletely understood. Youth with preexisting mental health problems and associated brain alterations were at increased risk for higher stress and poor mental health. This study investigated impacts of adolescent pre-pandemic mental health problems and their neural correlates on stress, negative emotions and poor mental health during the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. N = 2,641 adolescents (median age = 12.0 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort were studied, who had pre-pandemic data on anxiety, depression, and behavioral (attention, aggression, social withdrawal, internalizing, externalizing) problems, longitudinal survey data on mental health, stress and emotions during the first 15 months following the outbreak, structural MRI, and resting-state fMRI. Data were analyzed using mixed effects mediation and moderation models. Preexisting mental health and behavioral problems predicted higher stress, negative affect and negative emotions (β = 0.09-0.21, CI=[0.03,0.32]), and lower positive affect (β = -0.21 to -0.09, CI=[-0.31,-0.01]) during the first ~6 months of the outbreak. Pre-pandemic structural characteristics of brain regions supporting social function and emotional processing (insula, superior temporal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and the cerebellum) mediated some of these relationships (β = 0.10-0.15, CI=[0.01,0.24]). The organization of pre-pandemic brain circuits moderated (attenuated) associations between preexisting mental health and pandemic stress and negative emotions (β = -0.17 to -0.06, CI=[-0.27,-0.01]). Preexisting mental health problems and their structural brain correlates were risk factors for youth stress and negative emotions during the early months of the outbreak. In addition, the organization of some brain circuits was protective and attenuated the effects of preexisting mental health issues on youth responses to the pandemic’s stressors.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Brain-wide association studies using functional MRI have advanced our understanding of how behavioral traits relate to individual variability in brain function. These studies typically identify functional connectivity (FC) patterns linked to behavioral traits using either whole-brain or region-wise predictive models. However, whole-brain models often struggle with generalizability and interpretability due to the high dimensionality of FC data, while region-wise models isolate predictions, limiting their ability to capture the integrated contributions of brain-wide FC patterns. In this study, we introduce an interpretable predictive model that learns fine-grained FC patterns predictive of behavioral traits, jointly at the regional and participant levels, to characterize the overall association of FC patterns with a target trait. Our model jointly learns a relevance score and a dedicated prediction function for each brain region, then integrates the regional predictions using the relevance scores as weights to generate a participant-level prediction, capturing the collective association of FC patterns with the trait. We validated our method using FC data from 6,798 participants in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to predict cognition. Our model identified the cingulo-parietal, retrosplenial-temporal, dorsal attention, and cingulo-opercular networks as collectively predictive of cognitive traits, achieved competitive prediction accuracy, and enabled detailed characterization of fine-grained FC differences across cognitive domains. The learned relevance scores enhanced region-wise predictions of longitudinal cognitive measures in the ABCD cohort and cognitive traits in the Human Connectome Project Development cohort. These findings suggest that our method effectively characterizes generalizable and fine-grained FC patterns linked to cognition in youth.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

It is unknown whether brain-based predictive models derived from sleep features are useful for the clinical diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Environmental factors have long been shown to influence brain structure and adolescent psychopathology. However, almost no research has included environmental factors spanning micro-to-macro-systems, brain structure, and psychopathology in an integrated framework. Here, we assessed the ways and degree to which multisystem environmental factors during late childhood are associated with subcortical volume and psychopathology during early adolescence.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Sleep disturbance is highly prevalent during childhood and adolescence, dramatically affecting their emotional and behavioral development. However, its developmental patterns and contributing factors remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal associations of sleep disturbance trajectories with genetic and environmental risk factors, as well as mental health outcomes, from late childhood to early adolescence. Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, with annual assessments of sleep disturbance. A total of 11,509 children were categorized into four distinct trajectories via growth mixture modeling: decreasing, persistent high, increasing, and persistent low. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that the decreasing trajectory was characterized by improvements in caregiver mental health and school experience. In contrast, both the increasing and persistent high trajectories exhibited worsening caregiver mental health, school experience, and elevated family conflict. Additionally, among children of European ancestry, the increasing trajectory was significantly associated with polygenic risk scores for insomnia. Regarding outcomes, the decreasing trajectory predicted reductions in internalizing, externalizing, and total problems, while the increasing trajectory predicted worsening psychopathology. This study highlights the importance of jointly considering genetic and environmental factors in identifying children at risk for adverse sleep trajectories. Targeted early interventions addressing familial and school domains may enhance both sleep and mental health during this critical developmental period.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Objective
Suicide attempt (SA) risk is especially high among youth with early nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) onset and persistent NSSI. Still, few youth experience persistent NSSI and few attempt suicide. Identifying which youth follow specific NSSI trajectories and which NSSI trajectories are at higher risk for SA has strong potential to inform more targeted early suicide risk identification and prevention. The present study aimed to 1) identify NSSI trajectories, 2) identify characteristics forecasting which NSSI trajectories youth followed, and 3) compared SA risk across trajectories.

Method
We retrospectively identified a subsample of youth (N=2,524) with at least one NSSI event before typical onset. Youth were followed for four years (9-14 years) using the first five annual assessments from the ABCD study (release 5.0).

Results
Latent-class growth modeling identified two subgroups of youth following distinct NSSI trajectories. The earlier-onset-group (15%, Monset=9.83 years, SD=0.59) experienced baseline limited NSSI. The later-onset-group (85%, Monset=11.63 years, SD=1.60) had moderate risk for more than one NSSI endorsement. The later-onset-group was significantly more likely to attempt suicide than the earlier-onset-group (21% vs. 17% reported >1 SAs). Sex, psychopathology, family conflict, and positive parenting predicted group membership and SA risk.

Conclusion
SA risk among youth with early-onset or persistent NSSI was high; however, risk was slightly higher for those with persistent NSSI. While youth and family characteristics may forecast which NSSI trajectories youth follow, clinical implications of this research support children with NSSI are at risk for SA and may need continued monitoring and intervention. Findings support promoting broad public health awareness of SA risk in youth with NSSI.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

To examine factors associated with well-being among sexual minority adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Children with conduct problems are at elevated risk for negative psychosocial, educational, and behavioral outcomes. Identifying at-risk children can aid in providing timely intervention and prevention, ultimately improving their long-term outcomes. There is a need to develop screening tools to better identify at-risk children who may benefit from early intervention.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is an established tool for screening autism. An increasing number of studies have utilized the SRS in the general population as an outcome measure to gain insight into the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, SRS scores have not been well characterized in large pediatric cohorts, particularly in relation to their demographic, genetic, neuroimaging, and comorbidity profiles, or how these patterns compare to those observed in clinically diagnosed ASD. This study included 9788 non-ASD children and 182 autistic children aged 9-11 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Generalized linear mixed-effect models were applied to evaluate the associations of short social responsiveness scale (SSRS) with a spectrum of demographic, genetic, neuroimaging, and behavioral characteristics. We estimated the heritability of SSRS using a subsample of twin and sibling data. Our finding revealed that children with higher SSRS exhibited a higher male-to-female ratio. SSRS had a high heritability of 0.52 (95% CI, 0.45-0.63), and higher SSRS scores were correlated with increased polygenic risk for ASD (P < 0.001). Neuroimaging analyses identified both overlapping and unique neurobiological underpinnings, with sex-specific variations in structural and functional connectivity similar to those observed in ASD. Higher SSRS scores were linked to lower fluid intelligence, more behavioral problems, more sleep problems, and more psychotic-like symptoms. These findings highlight both the overlap and distinction between patterns reflected in SSRS scores and those observed in clinical ASD, highlighting the need for caution when interpreting findings only utilizing SRS as the outcome for autistic-like trait.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study represents a pioneering initiative that aims to unravel the complexities of behavioral and neural development in youth. In this paper, we address the challenges inherent in extracting meaningful insights from the extensive data compiled by the ABCD initiative. Our focus is on advocating for best practices in reproducible research, interpretation of effect size, and reporting of principled results. Central to this discourse is a detailed examination of effect sizes within the expansive ABCD dataset, and how they can be meaningfully interpreted in the context of large-scale research. We describe the hurdles associated with transitioning from conventional small-sample studies to the opportunities and challenges of large samples, including the phenomenon of statistically significant but practically trivial effects. To promote transparent and rigorous inference, we present a four-part framework to evaluate observed effects: researchers should define a smallest effect size of interest (SESOI), compare estimates to relevant benchmarks, test whether observed effects exceed meaningful thresholds (e.g., through equivalence testing), and visualize results to enhance interpretation and communication. Applying this framework yields a clearer, more cumulative understanding of effect size interpretation and contributes substantively to the refinement of scientific practices within adolescent brain and cognitive development research.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Atlas-free continuous structural connectivity has garnered increasing attention due to the limitations of atlas-based approaches, including the arbitrary selection of brain atlases and potential information loss. Typically, continuous structural connectivity is represented by a probability density function, with kernel density estimation as a common estimation method. However, constructing an appropriate kernel function on the cortical surface poses significant challenges. Current methods often inflate the cortical surface into a sphere and apply the spherical heat kernel, introducing distortions to density estimation. In this study, we propose a novel approach using the Riemannian diffusion kernel derived from the Laplace-Beltrami operator on the cortical surface to smooth streamline endpoints into a continuous density. Our method inherently accounts for the complex geometry of the cortical surface and exhibits computational efficiency, even with dense tractography datasets. Additionally, we investigate the number of streamlines or fiber tracts required to achieve a reliable continuous representation of structural connectivity. Through simulations and analyses of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we demonstrate the potential of the Riemannian diffusion kernel in enhancing the estimation and analysis of continuous structural connectivity.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Symptoms of psychopathology vary across people, limiting inferences about origins and treatments of disorders for any one person. The high-dimensional symptom space (HDSS) model offers a novel framework for understanding psychopathology by representing symptoms as vectors within a multidimensional space. Unlike traditional categorical and dimensional models, HDSS uses geometric distances to empirically characterize a person’s unique experience of symptoms, with the option to integrate social and cultural factors for more precise, personalized treatments. Using data from the adolescent brain and cognitive development (ABCD) study, we demonstrate that HDSS preserves individual specificity, effectively captures dynamic trajectories of psychological distress, and accommodates clinical heterogeneity. Results indicate that HDSS distances correspond to symptom severity and capture nuanced patterns of psychological distress over time, offering a comprehensive and individualized understanding of psychopathology. This model allows for a person-centered understanding of psychopathology, highlighting unique symptom patterns and their evolution over time. HDSS represents a significant advancement in personalized psychological care, providing a data-driven framework for understanding psychopathology symptoms, and implementing effective interventions.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

We aimed to classify youth using a longitudinal, multidimensional construct of gender, and examine associations of gender subgroups with substance cognitions and substance use. We used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study ( = 11,868 youth ages 9-10 years at baseline [2016-2018] through the year 4 follow-up [ages 13-14 years, 2020-2022]) to conduct latent class models using measures of gender identity, felt gender, gender expression, and gender non-contentedness. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess associations of gender classes with curiosity to use, intention to use, and use of alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis, respectively, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. A four-class model was selected based on model fit: transgender (2.5%), questioning (9.0%), naïve (36.3%), and cisgender (52.1%). Youth in the questioning and transgender classes were more likely to report curiosity to use alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] range 1.68-2.45, < 0.001) and intention to use alcohol and nicotine/tobacco (questioning youth; aOR range 1.69-1.88, < 0.01) or nicotine/tobacco and cannabis (transgender youth; aOR range 2.66-3.14, < 0.001) but not actual use of alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis, whereas members of the naïve class were less likely to report curiosity to use alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis, intention to use cannabis, and use of alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis (aOR range 0.48-0.81, < 0.001), relative to cisgender youth. These findings suggest that a more nuanced understanding of gender among preadolescent youth and their heterogeneous risk for substance use is critical for the development of early prevention services. The timing of prevention efforts may be ideal during this developmental period.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Internalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, somatic symptom disorder) are among the most common mental health conditions that can substantially reduce daily life function. Early adolescence is an important developmental stage for the increase in prevalence of internalizing disorders and understanding specific factors that predict their onset may be germane to intervention and prevention strategies.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Music training has been associated with the development of cognitive and language skills, yet large-scale longitudinal studies exploring these relationships are still limited. Drawing on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we examined the long-term associations between continuous music engagement and cognitive abilities, including the moderating role of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation. We also applied classification models to distinguish musicians from non-musicians on the basis of their performance on cognitive tasks. Our findings revealed that children who are consistently engaged in music training for 2 years scored higher on multiple cognitive and language-based tasks, with greater gains in picture vocabulary over time compared to non-musicians. Socioeconomic factors moderated these effects, with non-musicians from high-deprivation neighborhoods demonstrating smaller improvements in picture vocabulary than their low-deprivation counterparts, whereas musicians across socioeconomic backgrounds exhibited similar improvements over time. Additionally, classification models identified a distinct profile in musicians, with cognitive performance serving as a key predictor of music engagement, distinguishing musicians from non-musicians. These findings reinforce the role of music training in supporting cognitive and language development and highlight its potential as a cognitive enrichment tool, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Understanding sex differences in the adolescent brain is crucial, as they relate to sex-specific neurological and psychiatric conditions. Predicting sex from adolescent brain data may reveal how these differences influence neurodevelopment. Recently, attention has shifted toward socially-identified gender (distinct from sex assigned at birth) recognizing its explanatory power. This study evaluates whether resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), cortical thickness, or cortical volume better predicts sex and sex/gender alignment (congruence between sex and gender) in preadolescents. Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study data and machine learning, rsFC predicted sex more accurately (85 %) than cortical thickness (76 %) and cortical volume (70 %). Brain regions most predictive of sex belonged to association (default mode, dorsal attention, parietal memory) and visual networks. The rsFC classifier trained on sex/gender aligned youth classified more accurately unseen youth with sex/gender alignment (n = 2013) than unalignment (n = 1116). The female rsFC sex profile was positively associated with sex/gender alignment, while in males, there was a negative association. However, neither brain modality predicted sex/gender alignment. These findings suggest that while rsFC predicts sex in the adolescent brain more accurately, it does not directly capture sex/gender alignment, underscoring the need for further investigation into the neural underpinnings of gender.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Racial and ethnic discrimination has lasting consequences for adolescent functioning, yet its impact on adolescent brain development is relatively understudied. Identifying the neural circuits affected by discrimination can reveal key insights into brain plasticity and resilience. This pre-registered, multi-method study examined the longitudinal effect of racial/ethnic discrimination on one indicator of executive function via resting state functional connectivity among 4669 adolescents of color (e.g., 44 % Latinx, 43 % Black, 13 % Asian, 8 % Native American) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. Further, we explored familism and school support as social-environmental buffers. Greater discrimination impeded adolescents’ performance on the Flanker test of selective attention and inhibitory control via longitudinal effects on connectivity between the attention networks, specifically among youth evincing low familism. Among adolescents reporting low school support, greater discrimination was associated with heightened dorsal attention-salience network connectivity. Findings offer initial evidence for the neurobiological processes impacted by discrimination and social-environmental strengths that may “break the link” between discrimination and brain function.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Social isolation during development, especially in adolescence, has detrimental but incompletely understood effects on the brain. This study investigated the neural correlates of preference for solitude and social withdrawal in a sample of 2809 youth [median (IQR) age = 12.0 (1.1) years, 1440 (51.26%) females] from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Older youth whose parents had mental health issues more frequently preferred solitude and/or were socially withdrawn (β = 0.04 to 0.14, CI = [0.002, 0.19], P < 0.05), both of which were associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors, depression, and anxiety (β = 0.25 to 0.45, CI = [0.20, 0.49], P < 0.05). Youth who preferred solitude and/or were socially withdrawn had lower cortical thickness in regions involved in social function (cuneus, insula, anterior cingulate, and superior temporal gyri) and/or mental health (β = -0.09 to -0.02, CI = [-0.14, -0.003], P < 0.05), and higher amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, and basal ganglia volume (β = 2.62 to 668.10, CI = [0.13, 668.10], P < 0.05). Youth who often preferred solitude had more topologically segregated dorsal attention, temporoparietal, and social networks (β = 0.07 to 0.10, CI = [0.02, 0.14], P ≤ 0.03). Socially withdrawn youth had a less topologically robust and efficient (β = -0.05 to -0.80, CI = [-1.34,-0.01], P < 0.03) and more fragile cerebellum (β = 0.04, CI = [0.01, 0.07], P < 0.05). These findings suggest that social isolation in adolescence may be a risk factor for widespread alterations in brain regions supporting social function and mental health.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Serum and Glucocorticoid-regulated Kinase 1 (SGK1) is elevated in hippocampal neurons following glucocorticoid exposure and in peripheral blood of depressed patients. However, its mechanistic role in psychopathology and its relevance to the human brain are unknown. To address this gap, we investigated human postmortem brain tissue and found higher SGK1 expression in the hippocampus of depressed suicide decedents compared to healthy subjects who died of natural causes. We observed the highest levels of SGK1 in subjects with reported early life adversity (ELA) – a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders. To determine potential genetic factors underlying increased SGK1 in the hippocampus, we computed expression-based polygenic risk scores (ePRS) for a large population sample from the ABCD study and found that a collection of genetic variants associated with high hippocampal SGK1 expression predicts depression severity and moderates associations between ELA, depressive symptoms, and suicide attempts. Similar to the human brain, hippocampal SGK1 expression was increased in mouse models of ELA, adult chronic stress, and chronic corticosterone exposure, and hippocampal-specific knockdown of SGK1 conferred resilience to stress-induced behavior abnormalities. To test SGK1 as a potential therapeutic target, we injected mice with the small molecule inhibitor, GSK650394, and found that pharmacological inhibition conferred stress resilience, increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and rescued stress-induced dentate gyrus hyperactivity. Our cross-species findings reveal a novel role for hippocampal SGK1 in stress resilience, highlight an interaction between ELA and SGK1 on depression and suicide risk, and establish for the first time a functional role for SGK1 in stress-induced psychopathology.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data are often used to inform individual differences in cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric phenotypes. These so-called “brain-behavior” association studies come in many flavors and are increasingly the focus of investigations utilizing large population neuroscience datasets. Still, many open questions surrounding the utility of task and resting state fMRI for modelling brain-behavior relationships remain, including the feasibility of conducting these investigations in developmental cohorts. With the growing availability of large neurodevelopmental datasets such as that provided by the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we are now able to conduct well-powered analyses using large samples of longitudinal neuroimaging data collected from diverse populations of youth. Here we provide a high-level review of current controversies and challenges in this growing subfield of neuroscience, highlighting examples where task fMRI data and resting state fMRI data – either in isolation or combined – have yielded significant insights into brain-behavior associations. Challenges include issues related to measurement noise, appropriate estimation of effect sizes, and limits to generalizability due to insufficient diversity of samples. Innovative solutions involving advanced MRI data acquisition protocols, application of multivariate analysis methods, and more robust consideration of phenotypic complexity are reviewed. We propose that additional future directions for developmental cognitive neuroscience should include more reliable behavioral measures, multimodal neuroimaging brain-behavior studies, and greater consideration of environmental and other contextual influences on brain-behavior associations.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Family history (FH) of substance use disorders (SUDs) and stressful life events (SLEs) are known risk factors for SUDs in adolescents and young adults. Cross-sectional studies suggest that FH and SLEs affect adolescent white matter (WM) development and form abnormal WM patterns. Here, we examined the effects of FH, SLEs and their interaction on WM integrity in youths in the Adolescent Cognitive Brain Development (ABCD) study at baseline and 2- and 4-year follow-ups. ABCD youths (N = 8939, age ± SD = 9.9 ± 0.6 years, 4302 female) completed baseline diffusion tensor imaging, of which 5661 repeated the scan at 2-year follow-up (age ± SD = 12.0 ± 0.7 years, 2634 female) and 2177 at 4-year follow-up (age ± SD = 14.1 ± 0.7 years, 1007 female). FH was measured as the weighted sum of biological parents and grandparents with alcohol and/or drug problems. SLEs were measured with parental report of life events. WM integrity was measured with fractional anisotropy (FA) of 23 WM tracts. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the effects of FH, SLEs and their interaction on FA at baseline and longitudinally, modelling family and study site as random intercepts and correcting for multiple comparisons with false discovery rate (FDR) q = 0.05. At baseline, there were no significant effects of FH, SLEs and their interaction on FA after multiple comparison correction when controlling for race, family income and parental education. From baseline to 4-year follow-up, FH significantly negatively interacted with newly occurred SLEs on FA in 19 out of 23 tracts, so that FA at 4-year was lower in youths with both FH and newly occurred SLEs when controlling for baseline FA (β = -0.049 - -0.018, p = 6.2 × 10 - 4.7 × 10). These negative interactions were not significant with shorter time spans (baseline to 2-year follow-up and 2- to 4-year follow-up). In conclusion, we replicated findings from cross-sectional cohorts of the effects of FH and SLEs on lower WM integrity in youths. The study utilized Big Data longitudinal design to show that FH-by-SLE interaction, rather than their independent effects was responsible for developmental WM changes associated with FH of SUDs and life stressors.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Psychiatry is undergoing a shift toward precision medicine, demanding personalized approaches that capture the complexity of cognition and behavior. Here, we introduce a novel referential of four robust, replicable, and generalizable cognitive and behavioral profiles. These were derived from a large pediatric cohort (ABCD: n = 10,843) and validated in two independent cohorts (BANDA: n = 195 and GESTE: n = 271) regrouping children aged 9-17 years. We demonstrate the profiles’ longitudinal stability and consistency with clinical diagnoses in the general population while exposing critical discrepancies across parent-reported, youth-reported, and expert-derived diagnoses. Beyond validation, we showcase the real-world utility of our approach by linking profiles to environmental factors, revealing associations between parental influences and youths’ cognition and behavior. Our fuzzy profiling framework moves beyond discrete classification, offering a powerful tool to refine psychiatric evaluation and intervention. We provide an open-source framework, enabling researchers and clinicians to fast-track implementation and foster a data-driven, domain-based approach to diagnosis.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

Housing insecurity is now widespread among US youth. Evidence is limited, however, on how that is affecting their mental health. Longitudinal analyses examining specific, policy-modifiable forms of housing insecurity are especially lacking. We thus estimated associations between two housing exposures (1. eviction, 2. family inability to pay housing bills) and youth mental health over time, including sleep disturbances. To do so, we analyzed all available waves of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, a national cohort of US youth (n=11,868, aged 9-13; 2016-2021). Models adjusted for individual-level fixed effects and time-varying sociodemographic characteristics. Results show eviction and inability to pay rent/mortgage were both associated with worse mental health, including more severe internalizing, externalizing, and sleep disturbance symptoms. In models including both housing exposures, eviction associations were attenuated, while estimates for inability to pay were effectively unchanged. Given the prevalence of families having difficulty paying housing bills, findings suggest a large pool of young people whose mental well-being may be adversely affected. If these associations reflect cause, government efforts to prevent evictions (e.g., right to counsel in housing court) or lower housing cost burden (cash assistance, public housing, zoning reform, etc.) would have important benefits for young people’s psychological wellness.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI

Abstract

In-scanner head motion introduces systematic bias to resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FC) not completely removed by denoising algorithms. Researchers studying traits associated with motion (e.g. psychiatric disorders) need to know if their trait-FC relationships are impacted by residual motion to avoid reporting false positive results. We devised Split Half Analysis of Motion Associated Networks (SHAMAN) to assign a motion impact score to specific trait-FC relationships. SHAMAN distinguishes between motion causing overestimation or underestimation of trait-FC effects. We assessed 45 traits from n = 7270 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. After standard denoising with ABCD-BIDS and without motion censoring, 42% (19/45) of traits had significant (p < 0.05) motion overestimation scores and 38% (17/45) had significant underestimation scores. Censoring at framewise displacement (FD) < 0.2 mm reduced significant overestimation to 2% (1/45) of traits but did not decrease the number of traits with significant motion underestimation scores.

Journal

Published

Authors

Keywords

DOI