ABCD Study® research publications cover a wide range of topics related to adolescent (teen) brain development, behavior, and health, including mental health and stress, physical activity, substance use, and psychosocial factors.
Our publications are authored by ABCD investigators, collaborators, and other researchers. The analysis methodologies, findings, and interpretations expressed in these publications are those of the authors and do not constitute an endorsement by the ABCD Study. The research publications listed here include empirical as well as non-empirical papers (e.g., focused review articles, editorials).
To align with widely accepted quality standards, this list includes only papers from journals that are indexed in one or more of the databases listed below. Learn about the selection process for each database:
- MEDLINE
- Web of Science
- Scopus
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- NIH Library (Journal must be marked as “peer reviewed.” NIH librarians evaluate the peer review process of each journal on a case-by-case basis.)
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| Toggle | Influence of religious affiliation and political news on parental vaccination intent during COVID-19 pandemic | Vaccine: X | Stevens J, Strong K, Madsen E, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractBackground Methods Results Conclusions JournalVaccine: XPublished2026/03/01AuthorsStevens J, Strong K, Madsen E, Glenn J, & Nelson EJKeywordsCOVID-19; Vaccine hesitancy; Media bias; Religious affiliationDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2026.100781 |
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| Toggle | Deviation in development of dorsal association tracts during preadolescence links to concurrent and future cognitive performance and transdiagnostic psychopathology. | Nature communications | Wang D, Hammond CJ, Salmeron BJ, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractMany psychiatric disorders begin during adolescence, coinciding with the rapid development of brain white matter (WM). However, it remains unclear whether deviations from normal WM development during this period contribute to psychopathology. In this study, we developed normative models of brain age based on specific WM tracts using three large-scale developmental datasets ( ~ 10,000 subjects). We found that tract-specific deviations in WM development of association and limbic/subcortical systems were linked to concurrent and future cognition and psychopathology. The spatial pattern of the association system aligned closely with high-order brain networks and mitochondrial maps. Importantly, delayed brain-age especially in dorsal association tracts predicted psychiatric disorders across diagnoses and disorder onset over a 2-year follow-up. By identifying tract-specific WM development during preadolescence as a predictor of cognitive capacity and psychiatric risks, this study provides a framework for tracking individualized brain development and understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of cognition and transdiagnostic psychopathology. JournalNature communicationsPublished2026/02/19AuthorsWang D, Hammond CJ, Salmeron BJ, Xiao X, Murray L, Gu H, Zhai T, Quam A, Hill J, Nguyen H, Lu H, Janes A, Ross TJ, Yang YKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41467-026-69774-6 |
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| Toggle | Social Media Usage and Its Association With the Social Media Addiction Scale Among Early Adolescents | JAACAP Open | Hermann JC, Cummins KM, Adise S, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractObjective Method Results Conclusion JournalJAACAP OpenPublished2026/02/19AuthorsHermann JC, Cummins KM, Adise S, Marshall AT, Tapert SF, Baker FC, Mason MJ, Wade NE, Alexander JD, Squeglia LM, Fuemmeler BF, Neale MC, Kiss O, Redhead JN, Tomko RL, Hoffman EA, & Bagot KSKeywordssocial media addiction (SMA); TikTok and Instagram; early adolescents; follower and following count; public and private social media accountsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2026.02.003 |
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| Toggle | Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Inhibitory Control, Neural Activation of Error Processing, and Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: Neuroimaging, Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Data. | Journal of medical Internet research | Zhang X, Xie C, Chen Y, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractCyberbullying victimization is prevalent and closely linked to mental health problems. However, existing research, often limited by cross-sectional designs and a focus on direct relationships, has yielded inconsistent results. Furthermore, the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and psychopathological outcomes remain largely unclear at present. JournalJournal of medical Internet researchPublished2026/02/18AuthorsZhang X, Xie C, Chen Y, Qiu BKeywordscyberbullying victimization, error processing, functional magnetic resonance imaging, mental health problems, stop signal taskDOI10.2196/75126 |
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| Toggle | Sex Differences in Deviant Peer Association: Examining Mediation Effects of Dual Systems Imbalance | American Journal of Criminal Justice | Wojciechowski T | 2026 | |
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AbstractCriminological research has identified a robust sex gap in offending and this gap extends to affiliation with peers involved in antisocial behavior. Despite this, there is a dearth of research which has identified mediating mechanisms underlying these sex differences in deviant peer association. With prior research identifying sex variation in cognitive development, differential development pertaining to the dual systems model may have relevance here. This study examined sex differences in deviant peer association and tested for mediation effects of dual systems imbalance. Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and indirect effects of interest. Results indicated that male participants reported greater deviant peer association scores than female participants. This effect was significantly mediated by differences in dual systems imbalance, with this imbalance accounting for about 70% of the direct effect of biological sex on deviant peer association. JournalAmerican Journal of Criminal JusticePublished2026/02/17AuthorsWojciechowski TKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-026-09897-0 |
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| Toggle | Bidirectional Associations Between Screen Time and Irritability in Preadolescence: A Temporal Network Analysis. | Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology | Zhang L, Bellaert N, Zhuo H, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractIrritability, a form of emotion dysregulation, is a transdiagnostic symptom cutting across internalizing and externalizing problems. Clinical practitioners and parents have expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of screen use on irritability in youth. Despite the significant concerns, no studies have examined the association between screen usage and irritability and its directionality. Using a novel temporal network approach, this study investigated bidirectional associations between irritability and screen time across different activities in preadolescents. JournalJournal of child and adolescent psychopharmacologyPublished2026/02/17AuthorsZhang L, Bellaert N, Zhuo H, Liew Z, Tseng WLKeywordsABCD study, emotion dysregulation, irritability, screen time, temporal network approach, youthDOI10.1177/10445463251415497 |
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| Toggle | Polygenic score for C-reactive protein is linked to faster cortical thinning and psychopathology risk in adolescents | Nature Mental Health | Zheng H, Savitz J, Haroon E, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractAdolescence is a sensitive period of brain development marked by rapid cortical thinning and increased risk for psychiatric disorders, yet the biological drivers of atypical trajectories remain unclear. Here, using longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we examined whether genetic predisposition to systemic inflammation, indexed by polygenic scores for C-reactive protein (PGS-CRP), influences brain development and psychopathology. Higher PGS-CRP was associated with accelerated cortical thinning, particularly in medial temporal and insular regions, and with increased externalizing symptoms. Early-life infections independently predicted greater depressive and externalizing symptoms but did not interact with genetic risk. Mediation analyses indicated that cortical thinning partially accounted for the association between PGS-CRP and externalizing psychopathology. Biological annotation further identified the regional similarity between cortical effects of PGS-CRP and several neurotransmitter systems. Together, these findings suggest that genetic susceptibility to inflammation may shape adolescent brain maturation and contribute to mental health vulnerability via neuroimmune pathways. JournalNature Mental HealthPublished2026/02/16AuthorsZheng H, Savitz J, Haroon E, Ahern J, Loughnan RJ, Naber F, Xu B. Forthman KL, Aupperle RL, Williams LM, Paulus MP, Fan CC, & Thompson WKKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00585-w |
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| Toggle | Eating disorder symptoms are prospectively associated with higher BMI percentile in male early adolescents. | Eating and weight disorders : EWD | Nagata JM, Al-Shoaibi AA, Weinstein S, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractTo investigate sex differences in prospective associations between eating disorder (ED) symptoms and changes in body mass index (BMI) percentile in early adolescence. JournalEating and weight disorders : EWDPublished2026/02/16AuthorsNagata JM, Al-Shoaibi AA, Weinstein S, Memon Z, Li EJ, Barnhart WR, Helmer CK, Ganson KT, Testa A, He J, Baker FC, Lavender JMKeywordsAdolescence, Body mass index, Eating disorders, Epidemiology, Weight, YouthDOI10.1007/s40519-026-01824-w |
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| Toggle | Nature Exposure and Mental Health: New Insights and Future Challenges for Psychiatric Research. | Biological psychiatry | Tost H, Meyer-Lindenberg A | 2026 | |
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AbstractJournalBiological psychiatryPublished2026/02/15AuthorsTost H, Meyer-Lindenberg AKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.11.012 |
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| Toggle | Home, school, and the hidden cost of parental mental health | Frontiers in Psychology | Zhou J & Del Tufo S | 2026 | |
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AbstractThis study examines the association between parental mental health and children’s socioeconomic status (SES) across both home and school environments, using nationally representative data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Traditional childhood SES markers often focus on parental income, occupational prestige, and maternal education; however, they may not fully capture how children’s proximal experiences of SES differ across daily contexts due to parents’ personal challenges. Employing latent variable path analyses (LVPA), we explored whether parents’ mental health, often a critical aspect of childhood adversity, shapes both home-based and school-based SES. Our findings revealed that poorer parental mental health is significantly linked to more disadvantaged SES in home and school settings. This suggests that parental mental health may affect not only the resources families possess but also the degree to which children benefit from those resources across critical developmental settings. These findings highlight the importance of addressing parental mental health as a key mechanism in understanding and reducing invisible developmental inequality. JournalFrontiers in PsychologyPublished2026/02/15AuthorsZhou J & Del Tufo SKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1643927 |
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| Toggle | Brain network features predating early alcohol initiation in adolescence. | Translational psychiatry | Byrne H, Visontay R, Devine EK, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractEmerging evidence suggests regional neuroanatomical variability may be predictive of early alcohol use (before age 15). However, the relationship between whole-brain network organization and early alcohol initiation remains unknown. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we conducted a structural covariance network (SCN) analysis to examine brain network features preceding early alcohol initiation. Structural MRI data collected at baseline (ages 9-10) were used to generate SCNs based on regional cortical thickness measurements. Early alcohol initiation was defined as consuming a full drink between baseline and 4-year follow-up ( ≤ age 15). Participants who reported a full drink of alcohol at baseline, did not participate in the 4-year follow-up, or did not meet imaging quality control criteria were excluded. The remaining participants were compared to a subsample matched at a 1:1 ratio (n = 160 per group). SCN properties, including network segregation (modularity, clustering coefficient), integration (characteristic path length, global efficiency), and resilience (degree assortativity), were compared between groups. While no differences in regional cortical thickness between groups were identified, early initiators demonstrated lower segregation and higher integration compared to non-initiators. These findings suggest that cortical thickness network topology at ages 9-10 may serve as a neuroanatomical risk marker for early adolescent alcohol initiation, independent of prior alcohol exposure, sociodemographic differences, and regional neuroanatomical variability. JournalTranslational psychiatryPublished2026/02/14AuthorsByrne H, Visontay R, Devine EK, Wade NE, Jacobus J, Squeglia LM, Mewton LKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41398-026-03906-w |
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| Toggle | Autism as a Predictor of Deviant Peer Association: Testing for Dual Systems Model Mediation Effects. | Journal of autism and developmental disorders | Wojciechowski T | 2026 | |
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AbstractDeviant peer association is a robust risk factor for offending, that is, any behavior that violates a criminal law. This can include behaviors like drug use, violence, and theft; among others. Autism is a neurodivergent condition characterized by both atypical cognitive development and challenges with social interaction and communication. Despite these impairments, there is a dearth of research focused on the relationship between autism and deviant peer association. Relatedly, there exists no research examining the role that dual systems model constructs (sensation-seeking and impulse control) as mediators of this relationship. This study sought to address these gaps in the literature by examining autism as a predictor of deviant peer association in childhood and whether either or both impulse control or sensation-seeking significantly mediate this relationship. JournalJournal of autism and developmental disordersPublished2026/02/14AuthorsWojciechowski TKeywordsAutism spectrum disorder, Deviant Peer Association, Dual systems model, MediationDOI10.1007/s10803-026-07262-y |
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| Toggle | Hierarchical neurocognitive model of externalizing and internalizing comorbidity | Nature Mental Health | Xie C, Xiang S, Zheng Y, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractMounting evidence suggests that hierarchical psychopathology factors underlie psychiatric comorbidity. However, the exact neurobiological characterizations of these multilevel factors remain elusive. Here, leveraging the brain-behavior predictive framework with a 10-year longitudinal imaging-genetic cohort (IMAGEN, ages 14, 19 and 23, N = 1,750), we constructed 2 neural factors underlying externalizing and internalizing symptoms, which were reproducible across 6 clinical and population-based datasets (ABCD, STRATIFY/ESTRA, ABIDE II, ADHD-200 and XiNan, from age 10 to age 36, N = 3,765). These two neural factors exhibit distinct neural configurations: hyperconnectivity in impulsivity-related circuits for the externalizing symptoms and hypoconnectivity in goal-directed circuits for the internalizing symptoms. Both factors also differ in their cognitive-behavior relevance, genetic substrates and developmental profiles. Together with previous findings, we propose a hierarchical neurocognitive model of comorbid psychopathology (NeuroHiP) from preadolescence to adulthood, comprising a general neuropsychopathological factor (manifested as inefficient executive control) and two stratified factors of externalizing (deficient inhibition control) and internalizing (impaired goal-directed function) symptoms, respectively. These holistic insights are crucial for the development of stratified therapeutic interventions for mental disorders. JournalNature Mental HealthPublished2026/02/13AuthorsXie C, Xiang S, Zheng Y, Shen C, Li Y, Cheng W, Vaidya N, Zhang Z, Robinson L, Winterer J, Zhang Y, King S, Barker GJ, Bokde AL, Brühl R, Kebir H, Wei D, Artiges E, Bobou M, Broulidakis MJ,Banaschewski T,Becker A, Büchel C,Conrod P, IMAGEN Consortium, STRATIFY Consortium, ESTRA Consortium, & ZIB ConsortiumKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00577-2 |
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| Toggle | Beyond bilingual and monolingual: Cognitive, language and demographic profiles of adolescents in the United States | Bilingualism: Language and Cognition | Nguyen MVH, Rodarte ED, Hernandez AE, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractResearch teams studying bilingualism often focus on a specific population of bilinguals, which can limit the generalizability of their findings. This study explored how U.S. adolescents who speak a non-English language vary in their language experiences and cognition using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The sample included 6683 English monolinguals, 1138 heritage bilinguals, 592 dual language education (DLE) bilinguals and 1751 other bilinguals. SES varied across groups: sequential bilinguals (i.e., DLE and other bilinguals) had higher parental education and income than monolinguals, while heritage bilinguals had the lowest SES. Sequential bilinguals reported higher English proficiency and greater English use with family and friends than heritage bilinguals. Sequential bilinguals initially outperformed monolinguals on cognitive tasks, who in turn outperformed heritage bilinguals. However, these differences disappeared once SES was controlled. Findings highlight the importance of considering SES and language experiences when studying bilingualism’s cognitive effects and help explain inconsistencies in prior research. JournalBilingualism: Language and CognitionPublished2026/02/13AuthorsNguyen MVH, Rodarte ED, Hernandez AE, & Vaughn KAKeywordsDOIdoi:10.1017/S1366728926101023 |
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| Toggle | Prospective Associations Between Early Adolescent Problematic Screen Use, Mental Health, Sleep, and Substance Use. | American journal of preventive medicine | Nagata JM, Shim JE, Balasubramanian P, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractThere are limited large-scale, prospective analyses examining problematic (addiction-like) screen use and mental and behavioral health outcomes in early adolescents. This study aimed to determine the associations between problematic screen use and mental and behavioral health outcomes-such as depressive symptoms, suicidal behaviors, sleep disturbance, and substance use initiation-1 year later in a national cohort of children aged 11-12 years in the U.S. JournalAmerican journal of preventive medicinePublished2026/02/12AuthorsNagata JM, Shim JE, Balasubramanian P, Cheng CM, Al-Shoaibi AAA, Shao IY, Ganson KT, Testa A, Kiss O, He J, Baker FCKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.amepre.2025.108248 |
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| Toggle | Impulse Control in Focus: Rethinking Impulsivity in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | JAACAP Open | Bruno J, Tindall A, Dacorro L, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractObjective Method Results Conclusion JournalJAACAP OpenPublished2026/02/11AuthorsBruno J, Tindall A, Dacorro L, & Hosseini HKeywordsattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); impulsivity; inattention; maladaptive outcomesDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2026.02.001 |
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| Toggle | Cortical thinning and hippocampal expansion as brain signatures of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom trajectories | Nature Mental Health | Hou W, Zhu D, Sahakian BJ, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractClinical heterogeneity in the symptom trajectories of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well documented, but their neurodevelopmental mechanisms remain unclear. We used a longitudinal cohort of adolescents (ABCD; n = 7,436) to show that persistent, remitting and emergent ADHD symptom trajectories correlated with persistent, improving and worsening behavioral changes, respectively. Each trajectory had distinct brain signatures: faster cortical thinning (persistence), slower thinning (emergence) and faster subcortical expansion (remission). Slower cortical thinning in the right posterior cingulate was associated with inattention symptom increase, whereas faster hippocampal expansion was associated with inattention symptom decrease. These signatures enhance ADHD symptom prediction at age 13 and generalize to young adults (age 23) in the IMAGEN cohort. The hippocampal signature for remitting symptoms was replicated in IMAGEN and two clinical cohorts (ADHD-200 and ADHD-1000). Given that baseline ADHD medication use was not significantly associated with the remitting trajectory, our findings suggest that current treatments may not facilitate sustained remission, highlighting the potential for new interventions. JournalNature Mental HealthPublished2026/02/10AuthorsHou W, Zhu D, Sahakian BJ, Cortese S, Langley C, Luo L, Li Q, Gu Z, Cao L, Barker GJ, Bokde ALW, Brühl R, Desrivières S, Flor H, Garavan H, Gowland P, Grigis A, Heinz A, Martinot J-L, Paillère Martinot M-L, Artiges E, Nees F, Papadopoulos Orfanos D, Poustka L, Smolka MN, Hohmann S, Holz N, Vaidya N, Walter H, Whelan R, Schumann G, Yang L, Banaschewski T, & Luo Q for the IMAGEN ConsortiumKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00578-1 |
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| Toggle | Fundamental o fútil? Relations between multiple familism dimensions and adolescent sleep in a Hispanic sample. | Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) | Scott EC, Gillis BT | 2026 | |
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AbstractThe cultural value of familism describes prioritizing family over the individual. Previous evidence supports relations between familism and health behaviors, including sleep. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, this investigation explored associations of parent and adolescent familism and adolescent sleep. The sample included 438 Latino/a parent-adolescent dyads, with youth averaging 11.87 ( = 0.67) years old (assigned female at birth: 49.78%) and parents averaging 40.51 ( = 6.50) years old (female: 90.38%) with a majority identifying as Mexican or Mexican American (parents: 53.83%; youth: 54.51%). Most adolescents were born in the United States or its territories (94.28%). Parents and adolescents independently reported on multiple dimensions of familism, including familism support, familism obligation, and familism referent, which were combined to create an overall familism score. Adolescents wore Fitbit devices that measured objective parameters of sleep including minutes, efficiency, wake after sleep onset, latency, midpoint, and variability in minutes and midpoint. Multiple regression models were fit to determine associations of parent and adolescent familism dimensions with adolescent sleep. Youth obligation and parent support familism were related to more ideal sleep, while youth referent and parent obligation familism were related to less ideal sleep. While some dimensions of familism may pose a risk for poor sleep, others support ideal sleep and should be emphasized within the parent-adolescent relationship. As practitioners and clinicians incorporate cultural sensitivity into their practices and recommendations and families cultivate a supportive environment through familism values, Latino/a youth will be more likely to experience optimal sleep outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). JournalJournal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)Published2026/02/09AuthorsScott EC, Gillis BTKeywordsDOI10.1037/fam0001452 |
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| Toggle | Common multimodal neuroimaging mechanism of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep initiation difficulty in the developing brain. | NeuroImage | Zu Y, Pang T, Luo L, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. Studies indicate that 20-55 % of individuals with ADHD experience comorbid sleep disturbances, among which, sleep initiation difficulty (SID) is highly correlated with hyperactivity behaviors. However, the underlying neuroimaging mechanisms common to ADHD and sleep initiation difficulty remain poorly understood. JournalNeuroImagePublished2026/02/07AuthorsZu Y, Pang T, Luo L, Liufu C, Xu Z, Li W, Qian Y, Lv L, Chang SKeywordsAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Latent class growth analysis, Longitudinal study, Neuroimaging, Sleep initiation difficultyDOI10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121795 |
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| Toggle | Identifying genome-by-childhood trauma interactions for depression using a forest-based approach in the UK Biobank and Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | Hu Y, Gruen JR, Zhang H | 2026 | |
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AbstractDepression is shaped by both genetic and environmental factors, but genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) often lack power to detect complex gene-environment (G × E) interactions. We applied a forest-based machine learning approach to 38,018 UK Biobank (UKB) participants, examining interactions between 285,677 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and three trauma types (childhood, adult, and catastrophic trauma). While GWIS detected no significant interactions, we identified 8,225 potentially important SNP-environment pairs across 1,732 genes, with childhood trauma contributing most prominently. Stratified heritability was higher among childhood trauma-exposed individuals (13.3%) versus those unexposed (6.0%). Many identified genes overlapped with known psychiatric risk loci and accounted for most of the SNP-based heritability. Thirteen top genes were replicated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Our findings highlight the polygenic G × E nature of depression and the critical role of childhood trauma in modulating genetic risk, demonstrating the value of forest-based methods in detecting complex gene-environment interactions. JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPublished2026/02/06AuthorsHu Y, Gruen JR, Zhang HKeywordschildhood trauma, depression, gene–environment interaction, random forestDOI10.1073/pnas.2527955123 |
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| Toggle | Impulsivity-related predictors of adolescent substance use initiation. | Psychological medicine | Gilman J, Potter K, Kaur J, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractNeurodevelopmental models regard impulsivity as a central risk factor for adolescent substance use. However, the practical utility of impulsivity in predicting substance use is complicated by variability among measures that encompass multiple methods and theoretical domains. Prior research has been constrained by cross-sectional designs, small sample sizes, and/or the use of a narrow subset of impulsivity measures. JournalPsychological medicinePublished2026/02/06AuthorsGilman J, Potter K, Kaur J, Lee P, Schuster R, Bjork J, Weigard A, Evins AE, Roffman J, Tervo-Clemmens BKeywordsadolescence, alcohol, assessment, cannabis, impulsivity, nicotine, substance use initiationDOI10.1017/S0033291726103225 |
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| Toggle | Childhood Opportunity Index 2.0 and Cognition via the NIH Toolbox. | Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists | Harris JC, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Watts AL, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractThis study relied on previously established factor scores of environmental, education, and socioeconomic-related variables in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD) and their associations with cognitive functioning in youth. JournalArchives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of NeuropsychologistsPublished2026/02/05AuthorsHarris JC, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Watts AL, Moore HR, Malames BA, Nelson CA, Lisdahl KMKeywordsChild opportunity, Cognition, Development, NIH toolbox, NeighborhoodDOI10.1093/arclin/acag002 |
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| Toggle | Identifying patterns and predictors of social health in adolescence using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | Developmental psychology | Arrington MN, Nishina A, Hostinar CE, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractSocial health, having an adequate quantity and quality of social relationships, is essential for well-being but understudied during adolescence compared to adulthood. We sought to identify patterns and predictors of social health by characterizing peer relationships among 10,050 adolescents (10-13 years old, 4,815 girls, 53.68% non-Hispanic White) in Year 2 of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. To characterize social health profiles, we applied latent profile analysis on peer variables collected in Year 2: number of friends (close, general), aggression, victimization, relationships with prosocial and rule-breaking peers, and support. We then assessed whether loneliness (baseline, Year 2), family conflict (baseline, Year 2), and participant sex predicted profile membership. Fit indices supported a three-class solution: a “selective” class (∼60% of the sample) characterized by values below sample means but within population norms across variables (e.g., number of friends), a “robust” class (∼30%) characterized by high numbers of friends, and a “concerning” class (∼10%) characterized by high levels of peer aggression and victimization. Lonely adolescents were more likely to be in the concerning group and less likely to be in the robust group. Youth with more family conflict and boys were more likely to be in the concerning group; girls were more likely to be in the selective group. These findings reveal profiles of peer relationships in a large representative sample, providing a template for characterizing social health as adolescents begin to build intimate peer relationships. The results also highlight individual differences in social health profiles, which can inform targets to improve adolescent social health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). JournalDevelopmental psychologyPublished2026/02/05AuthorsArrington MN, Nishina A, Hostinar CE, Guyer AEKeywordsDOI10.1037/dev0002139 |
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| Toggle | Rethinking functional brain connectome analysis: do graph deep learning models Help | npj Artificial Intelligence | Han K, Su Y, He L, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractGraph deep learning models, a class of AI-driven approaches employing a message aggregation mechanism, have gained popularity for analyzing the functional brain connectome in neuroimaging. However, their actual effectiveness remains unclear. In this study, we re-examine graph deep learning versus classical machine learning models based on four large-scale neuroimaging studies. Surprisingly, we find that the message aggregation mechanism, a hallmark of graph deep learning models, does not help with predictive performance as typically assumed, but rather consistently degrades it. To address this issue, we propose a hybrid model combining a linear model with a graph attention network through dual pathways, achieving robust predictions and enhanced interpretability by revealing both localized and global neural connectivity patterns. Our findings urge caution in adopting complex deep learning models for functional brain connectome analysis, emphasizing the need for rigorous experimental designs to establish tangible performance gains and perhaps more importantly, to pursue improvements in model interpretability. Journalnpj Artificial IntelligencePublished2026/02/02AuthorsHan K, Su Y, He L, Zhan L, Plis S, Calhoun V, & Yang CKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44387-025-00067-x |
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| Toggle | Household cannabis cessation and adolescent mental health outcomes in a prospective cohort study. | BMC medicine | Wang M, Xu Y, Huang R, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractHousehold cannabis use is a risk factor for adolescents’ mental health problems. However, little is known about the association of the cessation and psychological impairments in affected adolescents. This study examined the associations of household cannabis cessation and adolescents’ mental health outcomes and potential pathways. JournalBMC medicinePublished2026/02/02AuthorsWang M, Xu Y, Huang R, Sun Y, Zhang L, Zhou W, Zhang Q, Luo Q, Du W, Ren T, Li FKeywordsAdolescent, Brain function, Family environment, Mental health, Sleep, Substance useDOI10.1186/s12916-026-04668-4 |
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| Toggle | Editorial: Modeling Environmental Complexity in Psychological Science: Methodological Opportunities and Challenges. | Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | Laky ZE | 2026 | |
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AbstractJournalJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryPublished2026/02/02AuthorsLaky ZEKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.jaac.2026.01.015 |
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| Toggle | Social "envirotyping" the ABCD study contextualizes dissociable brain organization and diverging outcomes. | Social cognitive and affective neuroscience | Merritt H, Koch MK, Jo Y, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractThe environment, especially social features, plays a key role in shaping the development of the brain, notably during adolescence. To better understand variation in brain-environment coupling and its associated outcomes, we identified ”social envirotypes,” or different patterns of social environment experience, in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study by hierarchically clustering subjects. Two focal clusters, which accounted for 89.3% of all participants, differed significantly on eight out of nine youth-report social environment quality measures, representing almost perfect complements. We then applied tools from network neuroscience to show different social envirotypes are associated with different patterns of whole brain functional connectivity. Differences were distributed across the brain but were especially prominent in Default and Somatomotor Hand systems for these focal clusters. Finally, we examined how social envirotypes change over development and how these patterns of change are associated with a suite of outcomes. The resulting dynamic social envirotypes differed along dimensions of stability and quality, but outcomes diverged based on stability. Altogether, our findings represent significant contributions to both social developmental neuroscience and network neuroscience, emphasizing the variability and dynamicity of brain-environment coupling and its consequences. JournalSocial cognitive and affective neurosciencePublished2026/02/02AuthorsMerritt H, Koch MK, Jo Y, Chumin E, Betzel RFKeywordsdevelopmental neuroscience, functional brain networks, social environmentDOI10.1093/scan/nsag005 |
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| Toggle | Pubertal Hormones and the Early Adolescent Female Brain: A Multimodality Brain MRI Study. | Human brain mapping | Khetan M, Vijayakumar N, Tian YE, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractPuberty is a critical developmental process that is associated with changes in pubertal (or steroid) hormone levels, which are believed to influence adolescent behaviour via their effects on the developing brain. So far, there are limited and inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between steroid hormones and brain structure and function in adolescent females, with many existing studies employing small sample sizes. Thus, in this study, we explored the association between oestradiol (E2), testosterone (Tes), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and brain structure (gray matter volume, sulcal depth, cortical thickness, and white matter microstructure) and function (resting-state connectivity, emotional n-back task-related function) in 3024 adolescent females (age 8.92-13.33 years, mean age (SD) = 10.37 (0.94) years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study. We used elastic-net regression with cross-validation to investigate associations between hormones and brain phenotypes derived from multiple imaging modalities. We found that structural brain features, including cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and white matter microstructure, and resting state connectivity between cortical networks and subcortical regions, were important features associated with hormones. E2 was most strongly associated with prefrontal and premotor regions involved in working memory and emotion processing, while Tes and DHEA were most strongly associated with parietal and occipital regions involved in visuospatial functioning. All three hormones were also associated with prefrontal, temporoparietal junction, and insula cortices. Thus, using an advanced methodological approach, this study suggests both unique and overlapping neural correlates of pubertal hormones in adolescent females and sheds light on the mechanisms by which puberty influences adolescent development and behaviour. JournalHuman brain mappingPublished2026/02/01AuthorsKhetan M, Vijayakumar N, Tian YE, Herting MM, O'Connell M, Seal M, Whittle SKeywordsmachine‐learning, multimodal brain imaging, puberty, steroid hormonesDOI10.1002/hbm.70451 |
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| Toggle | Neurostructural Substrates of Hierarchical Dimensions of Internalizing Symptoms in Youth. | Human brain mapping | Durham EL, Moore TM, Ellis KE, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractInternalizing symptoms are common in childhood and linked to meaningful differences in brain structure, yet their organization and neurobiological correlates during this developmental period remain poorly understood. An increasing number of studies conceptualize internalizing psychopathology as dimensional, transdiagnostic, and hierarchical, yet the factor structure of these symptoms in youth remains to be clearly defined. Additionally, the neurostructural underpinnings of internalizing factors warrants further investigation in younger samples. Using a large sample (N = 11,868) of 9- to 10-year-old children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD Study), we examined the factor structure of internalizing symptoms and identified associated neurostructural correlates, focusing on regional gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area. Higher-order modeling was used, in which the correlations among first-order factors for distress, cognitive, fear, and somatic symptoms were accounted for by a higher-order general internalizing factor. After controlling for age, sex, income, parental education, and site/MRI scanner, we found that general internalizing, distress, and cognitive symptoms were associated with smaller gray matter volume and cortical surface area across most regions. Fear symptoms showed a more localized pattern of smaller surface area in the parietal, temporal, and insular cortices. Cortical thickness and somatic symptoms showed less consistent associations. These findings contribute to the growing literature on dimensional models of internalizing psychopathology in youth by linking higher- and lower-order internalizing symptom factors to distinct patterns of neurostructural variation. Our results support the utility of hierarchical dimensional approaches for elucidating the neural substrates of internalizing symptoms during middle childhood. JournalHuman brain mappingPublished2026/02/01AuthorsDurham EL, Moore TM, Ellis KE, Wang S, Jeong HJ, Reimann GE, Archer C, Kaczkurkin ANKeywordsbrain structure, hierarchical modeling, internalizing symptoms, youthDOI10.1002/hbm.70461 |
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| Toggle | Unraveling the neural threads: Exploring the association of violence exposure with early adolescent brain connectivity. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Jagasia E, Perrin N, Campbell J, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractViolence affects over one billion children globally each year. Early adolescence is a sensitive period for neurobehavioral development, making it critical to understand how violence impacts the brain. While emotional, physical, and social outcomes related to violence have been extensively studied, the neurobiological mechanisms linking violence to developmental outcomes remain underexplored. This study investigated associations between violence and neural communication in 9-10 year olds from the longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development-Social Development Study (n = 2016). Regression analyses tested whether lifetime violence exposure (ages 9-10), recent exposure (ages 11-13), and cumulative exposures over three years were associated with connectivity between critical networks and subcortical regions. Findings revealed distinct types of violence were associated with alterations in brain connectivity across critical networks involved in emotional regulation, cognitive control, and threat detection. Internet victimization was consistently associated with alterations in neural communication, suggesting digital environments may uniquely influence neural pathways linked to self-reflection and emotional processing. Cumulative violence exposure was associated with greater increases in progression of neural communication between the default mode and salience networks and the salience network and hippocampus. These findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions addressing specific violence exposures, mitigating potential impacts on youth brain development and emotional health. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2026/02/01AuthorsJagasia E, Perrin N, Campbell J, Johnson S, Nebel MBKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101684 |
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| Toggle | Characterizing the co-occurrence of alcohol experimentation and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in early adolescence. | Translational psychiatry | Lannoy S, Bjork JM, Stephenson M, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThis study aims to investigate the roles of decision-making processes and genetics in the co-occurrence of alcohol use and suicidal thoughts/behaviors (STB) in adolescence. We used data from the ABCD study (abcdstudy.org) and included behavioral (computerized tasks, self-report questionnaires) and genetic (polygenic scores [PGS]) measures related to cognitive (executive functions) and affective (delay-discounting, risk-taking, impulsivity) processes involved in decision-making. First, we evaluated the latent structure of decision-making in the full sample (N = 11,868) using a split-half exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Second, we evaluated the association between alcohol experimentation ( > 1 sip) and STB in three genetically-defined ancestry groups: European (EUR, N = 6080), African (AFR, N = 2085), and the Americas (AMR, N = 2712). We used logistic regressions to examine which PGS and behavioral factors were related to STB and tested the mediational effect of behavioral processes. STB prevalence was between 0.85-4.17%. Decision-making was best represented by three latent factors: cognitive, emotional-impulsivity, and premeditation-perseverance. Regression analyses showed that alcohol experimentation was related to STB in EUR only (OR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.10;1.89). Lower tendencies on the emotional-impulsivity factor were related to lower STB in all groups (ORs 0.69-0.77), and better premeditation-perseverance were associated with lower STB in EUR (OR = 0.57) and AFR (OR = 0.72). In EUR, the association between alcohol experimentation and STB was mediated by the emotional-impulsivity (15.33%) and premeditation-perseverance (22.60%) latent factors. The associations between PGS for externalizing behaviors and STB also acted through the emotional impulsivity and perseverance-premeditation factors (mediations 6.98-10.30%). These findings suggest that decision-making-related processes may contribute to the alcohol use-STB co-occurrence. JournalTranslational psychiatryPublished2026/01/30AuthorsLannoy S, Bjork JM, Stephenson M, Sanchez-Roige S, Passero K, Edwards ACKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41398-026-03826-9 |
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| Toggle | Family and school environment as mediators in mental health outcomes among gender-diverse youth: insights from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | BMC psychiatry | Liu K, Xu Y, Liu X, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractJournalBMC psychiatryPublished2026/01/30AuthorsLiu K, Xu Y, Liu X, Hou J, Deng W, Du W, Luo Q, Ren T, Lin BY, Li FKeywordsABCD, Environment, Gender diverse, Mental health, Psychotic-like experiencesDOI10.1186/s12888-026-07814-7 |
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| Toggle | Depression and cognition in adolescents: A comparison of cross-sectional and longitudinal effects. | Journal of affective disorders | Kuburi S, Schumacher A, Tu E, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractEmerging evidence suggests that adolescents with depression may experience cognitive dysfunction. However, studies are primarily cross-sectional and few in number. This study examines the temporal association of depression and cognitive function among participants of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. JournalJournal of affective disordersPublished2026/01/29AuthorsKuburi S, Schumacher A, Tu E, Korczak DJKeywordsAdolescents, Attention, Cognition, Community sample, Depressive symptomsDOI10.1016/j.jad.2026.121282 |
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| Toggle | What we have learned about adolescent mental health and where we are going after a decade with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Baskin-Sommers A, Gearing D, Ramduny J, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThis review synthesizes ten years of research utilizing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, emphasizing how the study’s comprehensive, longitudinal design supports a multivariate understanding of adolescent mental health. We focus on studies that have examined the collective or interacting relations of multiple factors to mental health in adolescents, as this unique dataset allows for examining more complex configurations of risk factors. We highlight key findings from ABCD data that have deepened our understanding of the risk factors shaping mental health outcomes in adolescence. Findings underscore the complex interplay of biological, psychological, and/or contextual factors on adolescent mental health. We conclude with a forward-looking discussion of emerging research priorities and opportunities to further leverage the ABCD dataset to inform developmental theory, prevention, and intervention efforts. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2026/01/28AuthorsBaskin-Sommers A, Gearing D, Ramduny J, Zhang Z, Townsend N, Dupree C, Fink C, Horenkamp L, Karcher NR, Patel H, Kemp EC, Moorman BA, Hagan KE, Sawyers C, Potter A, Cioffredi LA, West A, Purcell A, Ibe O, Kliamovich D, Anokhin AP, Aupperle RL, Brown S, Clark DB, Foxe JJ, Gee DG, Larson C, McGlade E, Nagel BJ, Neigh G, Tapert SF, Giarrusso H, Nunez A, Tay J, McCurry KL, Araujo MCA, Barch DMKeywordsBrain, Environment, Longitudinal analysis, Mental health, NeurocognitionDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101686 |
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| Toggle | Situating problematic gaming and psychotic-like experiences in the adolescent landscape of affordances: A cohort study. | Journal of behavioral addictions | Paquin V, Lavallee Z, Huot-Lavoie M, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractProblematic gaming has been linked to increased levels of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in youth, but the role of environmental factors remains unclear. We aimed to examine the association of problematic gaming with PLEs and, using affordance theory, to evaluate whether environmental factors could help enhance the identification of this risk. JournalJournal of behavioral addictionsPublished2026/01/26AuthorsPaquin V, Lavallee Z, Huot-Lavoie M, Ku BS, Díaz-Caneja CM, Gülöksüz SKeywordsadolescence, affordances, gaming disorder, problematic video gaming, psychotic-like experiencesDOI10.1556/2006.2025.00094 |
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| Toggle | Impact of children's self-harm on caregivers' mental health and family functioning. | Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) | Ortin-Peralta A, Rosario-Williams B, Frank Brauner AP, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThis study examined cross-sectional and prospective differences in mental health and family functioning among caregivers aware of their child’s self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), caregivers unaware of their child’s SITBs, and caregivers of children without SITBs. Data were drawn from an epidemiological U.S. sample of children (ages 9-10) and their caregivers who participated in three yearly assessments as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study ( = 11,303, 47.6% female). Caregivers reported on their own mental health problems and SITBs, their child’s SITBs, and family conflict. Children reported on their own SITBs, family conflict, parental monitoring, and parental acceptance. Compared to caregivers of children without SITBs (81%), both aware (9.9%) and unaware (9.1%) caregivers reported more externalizing problems at baseline. Their children reported more family conflict and lower parental monitoring and acceptance across assessments. Relative to unaware caregivers and caregivers of children without SITBs, aware caregivers reported elevated internalizing problems at baseline and greater odds of engaging in SITBs at baseline and follow-up. Compared to children of unaware caregivers, children of aware caregivers reported lower family conflict and higher parental monitoring and acceptance at baseline. In contrast, aware caregivers reported higher family conflict at baseline and 1 year later compared to unaware caregivers. Overall, caregivers of children with SITBs, whether aware or unaware, experienced more mental health problems and long-term effects on family functioning. Aware caregivers also reported higher SITB risk. Family-based interventions with a focus on caregivers’ mental health may help reduce children’s SITBs and family suffering. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). JournalJournal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)Published2026/01/26AuthorsOrtin-Peralta A, Rosario-Williams B, Frank Brauner AP, Starr AM, Arya SKeywordsDOI10.1037/fam0001427 |
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| Toggle | Effects of Childhood Police Contact on Adolescent Suicidality: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis. | Research on child and adolescent psychopathology | Schiff SJ, Meza J, Lee SS | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractYouth suicide is increasingly prevalent, is a leading cause of death, and its public health burden is acute. Juvenile Legal System (JLS) involvement is an established correlate of suicidality; however, it is unclear how JLS involvement is nomologically associated with suicidality. Adolescents are situated within ecological contexts (i.e., family, schools, neighborhoods) that likely interact to modify the association of JLS involvement and suicidality. To improve predictive models, rigorous prosecution of this relationship must disentangle related risk/protective factors (i.e., sex/gender, race-ethnicity, discrimination, trauma, familism). Based on 2426 adolescents enrolled in a substudy of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), we utilized propensity score matching to test the association of police contact at 10-13 years-old with suicidal outcomes (i.e., self-harm, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt) two years later, covarying for age, education, race-ethnicity, sex/gender, discrimination, adverse childhood events (ACEs), and familism. After adjusting for numerous demographic, experiential, and family-level correlates, police contact did not significantly predict suicidal outcomes two years later. Baseline ACEs positively predicted self-harm and suicidal ideation two years later. Lower familism predicted self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts two years later. With inclusion of important risk and protective factors, JLS involvement did not uniquely predict suicidality. Factors closely related to JLS involvement (i.e., ACEs, familism) incremented risk. To address the increasing prevalence of suicidality and the disproportionate impact of suicide on JLS-impacted youth, it is critical to investigate individual and systemic factors, and how they interact, to increase risk for suicidality. JournalResearch on child and adolescent psychopathologyPublished2026/01/22AuthorsSchiff SJ, Meza J, Lee SSKeywordsJuvenile legal system, Police contact, Preadolescence, SuicideDOI10.1007/s10802-025-01398-8 |
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| Toggle | Dating app use and depression symptoms in adolescents. | BMC research notes | Nagata JM, Domingue SK, Diep T, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractJournalBMC research notesPublished2026/01/21AuthorsNagata JM, Domingue SK, Diep T, Helmer CK, Al-Shoaibi AAA, Ganson KT, Testa A, He J, Baker FC, Lavender JMKeywordsAdolescent, Dating, Depression, Media, Mental health, Online dating, Screens, YouthDOI10.1186/s13104-026-07641-9 |
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| Toggle | Connectome-based predictive modelling of problematic gaming in youth from the ABCD study. | Journal of behavioral addictions | Park JJ, Lacadie CM, Scheinost D, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractDespite the rapid growth in gaming consumption and associated harms in adolescents, data-driven research to identify brain networks underlying problematic gaming remains limited. This study aimed to identify neural networks predictive of problematic-gaming severity in youth using connectome-based predictive modelling (CPM), a machine-learning approach that employs whole-brain functional connectivity data. JournalJournal of behavioral addictionsPublished2026/01/19AuthorsPark JJ, Lacadie CM, Scheinost D, McCurdy LY, Potenza MN, Zhao YKeywordsaddictive behaviors, compulsive behaviors, functional magnetic resonance imaging, internet addiction, video games, youthDOI10.1556/2006.2025.00103 |
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| Toggle | A Window of Opportunity: Unraveling How Puberty Relates to Psychotic-Like Experiences During Adolescence. | Biological psychiatry global open science | Curtis M | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractJournalBiological psychiatry global open sciencePublished2026/01/17AuthorsCurtis MKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100687 |
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| Toggle | Digital Media, Genetics, and Risk for ADHD Symptoms in Children: A Longitudinal Study | Pediatrics Open Science | Nivins S, Mooney MA, Nigg J, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractBACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS CONCLUSION JournalPediatrics Open SciencePublished2026/01/16AuthorsNivins S, Mooney MA, Nigg J, & Klingberg TKeywordsAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Developmental/Behavioral Health, Screen TimeDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1542/pedsos.2025-000922 |
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| Toggle | Risk Perception and Susceptibility to Peer Influence Predict Substance Use in Early Adolescence: Findings From the ABCD Study. | Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs | Kliamovich D, Jones SA, Gaillard M, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractExperimentation with alcohol and other substances during the early adolescent period is associated with a myriad of potentially deleterious health outcomes. The present analysis utilized data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®) to investigate the relationships between risk perception, susceptibility to peer influence, and substance use in early adolescence. JournalJournal of studies on alcohol and drugsPublished2026/01/14AuthorsKliamovich D, Jones SA, Gaillard M, Del Giacco AC, Flores AL, Nagel BJKeywordsAdolescence, peer influence, risk perception, substance useDOI10.15288/jsad.25-00105 |
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| Toggle | Sociodemographic Associations With Early Smartphone Ownership in US Adolescents. | Pediatrics | Carvalho CA, Ravindran N, Howard C, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractJournalPediatricsPublished2026/01/13AuthorsCarvalho CA, Ravindran N, Howard C, Oshri A, Hale LKeywordsDOI10.1542/peds.2025-073891 |
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| Toggle | Pathways from racial/ethnic discrimination experience to cannabis use intentions: a longitudinal study of the mediating roles of perceived accessibility and harm among preteens. | Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse | Ou TS, Wong SW, Yang M, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThis study aimed to explore potential mediation pathways between racial/ethnic discrimination experience and cannabis use intention through perceived cannabis accessibility and then perceived harm. Preteens ( = 2,690, ages 9-13) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (Release 4.0) were included. Structural equation modeling was conducted. Experiencing racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with higher cannabis use intention ( = 0.068, < 0.05). Preteens who experienced racial/ethnic discrimination were more likely to perceive cannabis as more accessible ( = 0.134, < 0.05), resulting in lower perceived harm (=-0.123, < 0.001), which subsequently increased cannabis use intention (=-0.085, < 0.001). These results emphasize the need for interventions to address discrimination-related trauma in preteens. JournalJournal of ethnicity in substance abusePublished2026/01/13AuthorsOu TS, Wong SW, Yang M, Lin HCKeywordsRacial/ethnic discrimination, cannabis use intention, pre-adolescence, sequential mediationDOI10.1080/15332640.2025.2612339 |
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| Toggle | Positive affect as a developmental mediator of early adversity and internalizing psychopathology. | Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines | Hanson JL, Adkins DJ, Kahhale I, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractEarly life adversities (ELAs) including experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction are strongly linked to psychopathology; yet, the developmental pathways connecting ELA to externalizing and internalizing psychopathology remain unclear. While most research has focused on threat and negative affect, positive emotions may represent a critical but understudied mechanism linking ELA to mental health outcomes. JournalJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplinesPublished2026/01/13AuthorsHanson JL, Adkins DJ, Kahhale I, Sen SKeywordsadversity, affective disorders, emotion, resilience, risk factorsDOI10.1111/jcpp.70104 |
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| Toggle | Dimensional adversity, brain-age, & mental health: Differences in male and female adolescents. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Shaul M, Whittle S, Dehestani N, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractEarly life adversity (ELA) has been linked to shifts in developmental pace. This study examined whether brain maturity during early adolescence was influenced by ELA, and whether it explained the relationship between ELA and mental health problems. A sample (n = 7658, 46 % female) from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study was utilized, with data collected at three time points spanning 9-14 years of age. Exposure to threat, psychosocial deprivation, household instability, and socioeconomic stress were measured at baseline. A predictive model of normative brain development (brain age) trained on a large independent lifespan sample was applied to structural neuroimaging data from the second timepoint. Brain-age-gap (BAG) – the difference between model predicted brain age and chronological age – was tested as a mediator of adversity exposure and internalizing/externalizing problems at the third timepoint. A more positive BAG was associated with more externalizing problems, but hypothesized associations between adversity and BAG were not significant. Sex moderation of these pathways suggests adversity may differentially affect the pace of brain development for males and females, which uniquely explains vulnerability to externalizing problems. The findings highlight the importance of examining sex-specific effects of adversity on adolescent development and mental health. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2026/01/13AuthorsShaul M, Whittle S, Dehestani N, Silk TJ, Vijayakumar NKeywordsAdolescence, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, Brain development, Childhood, Deprivation, Early life adversity, Mediation, Mental Health, Sex differences, Socioeconomic status, Threat, UnpredictabilityDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101671 |
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| Toggle | Reporter Discrepancies in the Associations Between Mental Health Concerns and School Discipline | JAACAP Open | Thompson EL, Adams AR, Lehman SM, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractObjective Method Results Conclusion JournalJAACAP OpenPublished2026/01/12AuthorsThompson EL, Adams AR, Lehman SM, Kaiver C, Hawes SW, Scardamalia KM, Pham AV, & Gonzalez RKeywordsschool discipline; adolescence; mental health; caregiver monitoring; ABCD StudyDOIDOI: 10.1016/j.jaacop.2026.01.001 |
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| Toggle | Impact of childhood adversity on suicidality among children in the United States: Does race and ethnicity moderate the association? | The American journal of orthopsychiatry | Llamocca EN, Thompson AJ, Fontanella CA, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractBecause suicide-related outcome risk is higher among individuals experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and individuals of minoritized race and ethnicity experience greater ACEs, differences by race and ethnicity in ACE exposure and/or response may help explain racial and ethnic disparities in suicide-related outcomes. We aimed to describe ACE prevalence by race and ethnicity, estimate associations between ACEs and suicidality, and explore moderation by race and ethnicity. Supported by the stress sensitization hypothesis, we hypothesized that associations between ACEs and suicidality would be stronger among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children than non-Hispanic White children. We utilized an Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study subsample ( = 5,469; = 119.3 months [ = 7.5 months]; Hispanic: 20.8%; non-Hispanic Black: 14.8%; non-Hispanic White: 64.4%). We estimated associations between ACEs (cumulative ACE score and three subdomains: family-centered adversity, interpersonal adversity, and life events) and suicidality (any child-reported suicidal thoughts or behaviors) using generalized linear mixed models and included an interaction term between ACEs and race and ethnicity to examine potential moderation. ACE prevalence differed by race and ethnicity and was highest among non-Hispanic Black children, although household mental illness prevalence was highest among non-Hispanic White children. Cumulative ACE score ( = 1.17, 95% CI [1.12, 1.23]), family-centered adversity ( = 1.89, 95% CI [1.54, 2.32]), and interpersonal adversity ( = 1.62, 95% CI [1.35, 1.94]) were positively associated with suicidality; the associations were not moderated by race and ethnicity. Differential ACE exposure by race and ethnicity may help explain suicide-related disparities. ACE prevention and interventions, particularly among children of minoritized race and ethnicity, are vital. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved). JournalThe American journal of orthopsychiatryPublished2026/01/12AuthorsLlamocca EN, Thompson AJ, Fontanella CA, Gui HKeywordsDOI10.1037/ort0000896 |
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| Toggle | Relationships Between Polygenic Scores for Psychopathology and Observed Psychopathology are Mediated by Cognitive Control and Reward Sensitivity Pathways: Insights from the ABCD Study | Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science | Howard AK, Gustavson DE, & Friedman NP | 2026 | |
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AbstractBackground Methods Results Conclusions JournalBiological Psychiatry Global Open SciencePublished2026/01/10AuthorsHoward AK, Gustavson DE, & Friedman NPKeywordsPolygenic risk; Internalizing; Externalizing; Substance Use; Executive Function; RewardDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2026.100690 |
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| Toggle | Dynamic Resting-State Network Markers of Disruptive Behavior Problems in Youth | Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science | Shappell HM, Liu Z, Khodaei M, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractBackground Methods Results Conclusion JournalBiological Psychiatry Global Open SciencePublished2026/01/10AuthorsShappell HM, Liu Z, Khodaei M, He G, Gee DG, Lindquist MA, Sukhodolsky DG, McCarthy G, & Ibrahim KKeywordsDisruptive Behavior Disorders; Biomarker; Resting-State fMRI; Dynamic Brain Networks; Dynamic ConnectivityDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2026.100689 |
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| Toggle | Inhibitory control-related neural pathways of early adversity to internalizing problems in preadolescence. | Journal of affective disorders | Patel KR, Hernandez BN, Parker AJ, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractExposure to early life adversity has long-reaching effects on the psychopathology of adolescents. However, some individuals exposed to early life stressors, such as threat and deprivation, do not later present with symptoms. Previous research suggests that neural mechanisms may play a role in differentiating pathways from early life threat or deprivation to internalizing symptoms. JournalJournal of affective disordersPublished2026/01/09AuthorsPatel KR, Hernandez BN, Parker AJ, Dougherty LR, Wiggins JLKeywordsEarly adversity, Inhibitory control, Internalizing symptoms, Protective factorsDOI10.1016/j.jad.2025.121139 |
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| Toggle | Developmental Trajectories of Positive Expectancies of Cannabis Use Effects Among Early Adolescents: Longitudinal Observational Study Using Latent Class Growth Analysis. | JMIR public health and surveillance | Qin WA, Seo DC, Jacobs W, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractPositive expectancies of cannabis use effects, which are the beliefs about the anticipated positive effects of cannabis, are robust cognitive precursors of adolescent cannabis initiation and escalation. However, little is known about how sociodemographic, familial, and psychopathological factors predict positive expectancies of cannabis use effects or how these expectancies evolve across early adolescence. JournalJMIR public health and surveillancePublished2026/01/09AuthorsQin WA, Seo DC, Jacobs W, Huang S, Elam KKKeywordsearly adolescents, family cannabis use rules, family conflict, family dynamics, latent class growth analysis, parental monitoring, positive cannabis use expectancyDOI10.2196/85652 |
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| Toggle | Prospective Study on Effects of Sports Participation on Brain Injury versus Orthopedic Injury in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study | Meng W, Vaida F, de Souza NL, et al. | 2026 | ||
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AbstractYouth sports are popular in the United States and provide many physical and social benefits for children. However, sports participation is also a major source of pediatric traumatic injuries, including mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and orthopedic injury (OI). Previous studies have identified certain sports associated with higher risks of mTBI and/or OI, but are limited to retrospective data. The aim of this study is to prospectively examine the association between individual sports and the risk of mTBI and OI using longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We analyzed longitudinal data from 11,332 children at the 1-, 2-, and 3-year follow-ups (ages 10–13 years) from the ABCD study. Participation in 23 sports and the incidence of mTBI and OI were reported by parents at each visit. Generalized linear mixed-effects models with subject-level random intercepts were used to fit the longitudinal data, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, parental income, parental education, and children’s behavior problems. The results indicated that most sports showed a decline in participation rate over time. Children who played soccer had higher risks of mTBI, odds ratio (OR) = 1.320 (1.075, 1.621), p = 0.008, and OI, OR = 1.208 (1.057, 1.379), p = 0.005, compared with those who did not (95% confidence interval in parentheses). Children who played American football also had higher risks of mTBI, OR = 1.639 (1.238, 2.171), p < 0.001, and OI, OR = 1.405 (1.159, 1.704), p ≤ 0.001, compared with those who had not. Children who played ice hockey had a significantly higher risk of mTBI than OI, ratio of odds ratio = 2.700 (1.445, 5.043), p = 0.002. Finally, children who played volleyball exhibited lower risks of mTBI, OR = 0.442 (0.234, 0.835), p = 0.012, than those who did not. Sensitivity analyses adjusting for additional behavioral and neurocognitive variables and restricting the analysis sample to children who played at least one sport in the 3-year interval showed consistent findings. The findings suggested that sports-specific differences exist in injury risks, and sport-specific and injury-specific prevention strategies are needed in youth sports.
JournalPublished2026/01/09AuthorsMeng W, Vaida F, de Souza NL, Dennis EL, Wilde EA, Jacobus J, Yang X, Cheng M, Troyer EA, Delfel EL, Abildskov T, Hesselink JR, Bigler ED, & Max JEKeywordsDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1177/0897715125141240 |
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| Toggle | Perceived Discrimination Experiences Among Multiracial Children in the ABCD Study | Pediatrics Open Science | Vora AS, Zhang Y, Leu C-S, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractBackground and Objectives
Racism and discrimination impact children’s health; there is little information about Multiracial children. The US Multiracial population grew from 2.9% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2020. This study investigates associations between racial and ethnic identification and perceived discrimination among Multiracial children in the multicenter Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study). Methods Children were recruited at 9 to 10 years old in 2016 to 2018. Caregivers reported racial and ethnic identification; children self-reported experiences of discrimination. Generalized linear models with logit link function were used to assess associations between identity and discrimination experiences. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted P values were reported. Results
One thousand one hundred twenty-four children (10.8%) identified as Multiracial. The largest Multiracial groups were white-Black (3.4%), white-Asian (3.0%), and white–American Indian/Alaska Native (1.6%). The largest monoracial groups were white (65.4%) and Black (16.3%). White-Black participants had higher odds than their white monoracial counterparts of perceiving discrimination by other adults outside of school (OR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.24–3.77]; P = .014) and other students (OR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.17–2.32]; P = .012); feeling that others behaved unfairly or in a negative way toward their ethnic group (OR, 1.78 [95% CI, 1.16–2.72]; P = .014); feeling like other Americans had something against them (OR, 2.50 [95% CI, 1.48–4.23]; P < .001); and feeling discriminated against over the past 12 months due to race, ethnicity, or color (OR, 2.40 [95% CI, 1.51–3.82]; P < .001). Conclusion
Multiracial children perceive discrimination at an early age and have different experiences based on race and ethnicity, and some groups have higher odds of certain types of discrimination than their component identity groups. These experiences impact health outcomes through complex pathways. JournalPediatrics Open SciencePublished2026/01/09AuthorsVora AS, Zhang Y, Leu C-S, & Grilo SKeywordsEquity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice, Psychosocial Health, Public HealthDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1542/pedsos.2024-000326 |
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| Toggle | Social Learning Theory and Gateway Hypothesis as a Causal Pathway Linking Rule-Breaking Peer Association to Marijuana Use via Nicotine Vaping. | Journal of psychoactive drugs | Wojciechowski T | 2026 | |
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AbstractThe gateway hypothesis posits that the use of some “gateway drugs” may precipitate initiation of use of other drugs. A commonly examined pathway in this regard is the use of tobacco/nicotine leading to the use of marijuana. There is a dearth of research that has examined nicotine vaping specifically as a predictor of marijuana and that has integrated social learning processes of rule-breaking peer association into this pathway. The present study sought to address these gaps in the literature by examining nicotine vaping as a mediator of the relationship between rule-breaking peer association and marijuana use. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess relationships of interest. Greater rule-breaking peer association predicted increased marijuana use risk at follow-up. Nicotine vaping was a significant mediator here, accounting for about 8% of this relationship. Implications are discussed. JournalJournal of psychoactive drugsPublished2026/01/09AuthorsWojciechowski TKeywordsGateway hypothesis, marijuana, mediation, nicotine vaping, rule-breaking peer associationDOI10.1080/02791072.2026.2614509 |
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| Toggle | Prospective associations between media parenting practices and adolescent video game use. | World journal of pediatrics : WJP | Nagata JM, Sportsman D, Wong JH, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractDespite the rise of adolescent video gaming, evidence-based parenting guidelines and research on its specific behavioral impacts remain limited. This study evaluated whether media parenting practices are prospectively associated with video game use in adolescents 1 and 2 years later. JournalWorld journal of pediatrics : WJPPublished2026/01/08AuthorsNagata JM, Sportsman D, Wong JH, Nayak S, Li EJ, Ganson KT, Piatkowski T, He J, Testa A, Baker FCKeywordsDigital media, Parenting, Screens, Technology, Video gamesDOI10.1007/s12519-025-01009-y |
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| Toggle | Anterior Cingulate Cortex Reactivity to Social Stimuli Marks Individual Differences to Peer Victimization on Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescence | JAACAP Open | Kuhney FS, Mittal VA, & Damme KSF | 2026 | |
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AbstractObjective Method Results Conclusion JournalJAACAP OpenPublished2026/01/07AuthorsKuhney FS, Mittal VA, & Damme KSFKeywordspeer-victimization; internalizing; fMRI; ABCD; sexDOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2025.12.006 |
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| Toggle | Prenatal Adversities and Risk of Persistent Youth Psychopathology and Altered Cortical Thinning. | JAMA psychiatry | Zhi D, Perdomo SA, Arteaga LR, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractAdverse prenatal exposures (APEs) often co-occur and independently associate with risk for childhood psychopathology. Whether exposure to multiple APEs is associated with persistent clinical effects through adolescence or underlying changes in brain maturation remains uncertain. JournalJAMA psychiatryPublished2026/01/07AuthorsZhi D, Perdomo SA, Arteaga LR, Hughes DE, Dunn EC, Lee PH, Evins AE, Reeder HT, Hadland SE, Doyle AE, Clauss JA, Sui J, Roffman JL, Gilman JMKeywordsDOI10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.4080 |
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| Toggle | Sex differences in the independent and combined effects of genomic and exposomic risks for schizophrenia on distressing psychotic experiences: insights from the ABCD study. | Archives of women's mental health | Prachason T, Arias-Magnasco A, Lin BD, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractTo investigate sex-dependent effects of polygenic risk (PRS-SCZ) and exposome score (ES-SCZ) for schizophrenia, both independently and jointly, on distressing psychotic experiences (PEs) in early adolescents. JournalArchives of women's mental healthPublished2026/01/06AuthorsPrachason T, Arias-Magnasco A, Lin BD, van Os J, Rutten BPF, Pries LK, Guloksuz SKeywordsAdolescence, Exposome, Gene-environment interaction, Genome, Psychotic experiences, Sex differenceDOI10.1007/s00737-025-01644-4 |
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| Toggle | Smartphone Use During School Hours by US Youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | JAMA | Nagata JM, Kim KE, Huang OH, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractJournalJAMAPublished2026/01/05AuthorsNagata JM, Kim KE, Huang OH, Sportsman D, Hale L, Baker FC, Christakis DAKeywordsDOI10.1001/jama.2025.23235 |
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| Toggle | Developmental windows of vulnerability: Substance-specific effects of prenatal exposure timing on child psychopathology. | Drug and alcohol dependence | Li Q, Pang Z, Lu Y, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractPrenatal alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis exposure are known risks for childhood psychopathology symptoms, but gaps persist in identifying substance-specific developmental vulnerability windows. Exposure timing relative to maternal pregnancy awareness may alter outcomes, yet this temporal specificity remains unclarified, limiting targeted risk assessment and prevention. JournalDrug and alcohol dependencePublished2026/01/03AuthorsLi Q, Pang Z, Lu Y, Jiang L, Sun M, Xu JKeywordsAlcohol, Cannabis, Maternal pregnancy awareness, Prenatal substance exposure, Psychopathology, TobaccoDOI10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2026.113029 |
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| Toggle | Interaction between Neighborhood Exposome and Genetic Risk in Child Persistent Distressing Psychotic-like Experiences. | Nature. Mental health | Chen Y, Yuan Q, Dimitrov L, et al. | 2026 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThe genetic risk of persistent distressing psychotic-like experiences (PLE) in the multi-ancestral population is under-investigated. The gene-neighborhood environment interaction in persistent distressing PLE is also unknown. This study included 6,449 participants from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. Genetic risk was measured by a multi-ancestral schizophrenia polygenic risk score (SCZ-PRS). Multi-dimensional neighborhood-level exposures were used to form the neighborhood exposome (NE). SCZ-PRS was not statistically significantly associated with odds of persistent distressing PLE (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.13, = 0.280), whereas NE score was (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.26, = 0.003). A significant negative multiplicative interaction between SCZ-PRS and NE was found (Estimate = -0.08, 95% CI: -0.15, -0.00, P = 0.039). The additive interaction followed the same direction but was statistically insignificant (Estimate = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.15, 0.03, P = 0.189). Persistent distressing PLE in children may be driven by detrimental neighborhood exposures in multi-ancestral populations, particularly among those with low genetic risk. The findings provide important evidence on persistent distressing PLE etiology attributed to genetic and environmental risks and identify potential susceptible populations for targeted interventions. JournalNature. Mental healthPublished2026/01/02AuthorsChen Y, Yuan Q, Dimitrov L, Risk B, Ku B, Huels AKeywordsDOI10.1038/s44220-025-00563-8 |
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| Toggle | Gene-Environment Interplay in Reading Performance. | Developmental science | Carrión-Castillo A, Carreiras M, Lallier M | 2026 | |
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AbstractGenetic factors are known to play a role in shaping reading abilities and their underlying cognitive processes. However, understanding how genetic and environmental factors interact to influence reading outcomes remains largely unknown. By evaluating the interplay between genetic and environmental influences on reading performance, this study aims to provide insights into the complex mechanisms underlying reading abilities. To this aim, we leveraged the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development dataset, considering socioeconomic indicators including household income and parental education, along with linguistic characteristics such as bilingualism and the child’s first language (L1). We operationalized genetic influences as polygenic scores (PGS), which aggregate genetic risk across multiple loci associated with reading-relevant traits (word reading, dyslexia, cognitive performance, and educational attainment). First, we establish the individual associations between selected environmental and genetic predictors for reading, observing that all except L1 are significant predictors of reading, with a similar range of variance explained by the two types of predictors. Next, we confirm an additive effect, as the PGS remain significant after adjustment for the environmental effects, although the effects of PGS and PGS are attenuated, confirming a partial gene-environment correlation. This is further supported by analyzing direct and genetic effects in a subset of siblings. Next, potential interactions between the PGS and these environmental variables are considered. Finally, we evaluate the combined contribution of the four PGS through a multiPGS analysis, which improves the predictive power of the individual PGS analyses, explaining up to 10% of variance in reading performance (adjusted R). Sensitivity analyses with other cognitive outcomes (vocabulary and fluid intelligence) reveal that the observed pattern is specific to reading. Our study highlights the important and interrelated roles of both environmental and genetic factors in shaping reading abilities. JournalDevelopmental sciencePublished2026/01/01AuthorsCarrión-Castillo A, Carreiras M, Lallier MKeywordsDOI10.1111/desc.70109 |
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| Toggle | Longer Breastfeeding Is Associated With Healthier Body Mass Index Trajectories and Lower Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Youth Aged 9-12 Years. | Pediatric obesity | Ottino González J, Rivas Fernández MA, Esaian S, et al. | 2026 | |
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AbstractThe association between breastfeeding and adolescent obesity remains unclear because most previous studies included youth with obesity. We explored these associations from ages 9 to 12 amongst initially healthy weight youth. JournalPediatric obesityPublished2026/01/01AuthorsOttino González J, Rivas Fernández MA, Esaian S, Goran MI, Adise SKeywordsadolescence, breastfeeding, longitudinal, obesity, puberty, weight gainDOI10.1111/ijpo.70082 |
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| Toggle | Child Behavioral Scores Correlate With Prenatal Tobacco and Marijuana Exposure, Sociodemographic Variables and Interactions of Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks. | Brain and behavior | Vishnubhotla RV, Zhao Y, Radhakrishnan R | 2026 | |
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AbstractPrenatal substance exposure is an increasing problem that has been linked to multiple neurodevelopmental impairments and alterations to brain functional connectivity. JournalBrain and behaviorPublished2026/01/01AuthorsVishnubhotla RV, Zhao Y, Radhakrishnan RKeywordsABCD, attention networks, prenatal marijuana exposure, prenatal tobacco exposureDOI10.1002/brb3.71168 |
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| Toggle | Role of Bilingualism in the Neuroanatomical Differences in Children With Reading Disability (dyslexia). | Developmental science | Schug AK, Eden GF | 2026 | |
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AbstractThe left-hemisphere language cortex is known to be structurally aberrant in developmental dyslexia (also referred to as reading disability, RD). However, studies have not addressed the neuroanatomical bases of dyslexia in bilinguals, even though bilingualism is common, and the bilingual experience is thought to alter the language cortex. This raises the question of whether current brain-based models of dyslexia are applicable to bilinguals. We employed a factorial analysis with participants from the ABCD Study (total N = 268, aged 9-10 years), comparing Bilinguals with RD, Bilingual Controls, Monolinguals with RD, and Monolingual Controls on gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT). RD was determined for reading in English. We included only cultural early bilinguals of Spanish and English; these are prevalent in the United States and represent a homogeneous group of bilinguals who learned their languages early in their home environment. Both main effects analyses (RD vs. Control; Bilingual vs. Monolingual) yielded results for GMV and, to a lesser extent for CT, and the effects for bilingualism were more pronounced than those for dyslexia. Importantly, the interaction analysis revealed no exponential effect, indicating that the neuroanatomical signature of dyslexia is not compounded by experience-dependent plasticity associated with early bilingualism. Our results suggest that brain-based models of dyslexia derived from monolinguals can be generalized to early bilinguals. They also reveal no differences in left-hemisphere language cortex in dyslexia (main effects analysis of RD vs. Controls), suggesting that prior results of GMV and CT differences in these regions from smaller studies may not have been robust. SUMMARY: Neuroanatomical aberrations in dyslexia have been reported in left-hemisphere language cortex, but this work is based primarily on monolingual participants. We tested for the first time if aberrations of gray matter volume and cortical thickness in reading disability (RD) are magnified by a dual language-experience. An ANOVA of Bilinguals with and without RD and Monolinguals with and without RD resulted in no exponential effect of bilingual experience. The main effect for RD revealed no differences in left language cortex and far fewer regions than those revealed by the main effect of bilingualism. JournalDevelopmental sciencePublished2026/01/01AuthorsSchug AK, Eden GFKeywordsbilingual, brain structure, dyslexia, reading disabilityDOI10.1111/desc.70086 |
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| Toggle | Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Pubertal and Brain Development, and Internalizing Problems in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Investigation. | Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging | Tsomokos DI, McLaughlin KA, Whittle S, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractLow socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with alterations in brain development and youth psychopathology risk. However, the mechanisms linking SES to neurodevelopment remain unclear. We tested whether pubertal timing and tempo mediate the association between SES and cortical thinning in adolescence, and whether these neurobiological processes predict socioeconomic disparities in internalizing symptoms. JournalBiological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimagingPublished2025/12/31AuthorsTsomokos DI, McLaughlin KA, Whittle S, Dhamala E, Mehta MA, Rakesh DKeywordsAdolescence, Brain Development, Mental Health, Pubertal Development, Sex Differences, Socioeconomic DisadvantageDOI10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.12.010 |
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| Toggle | Decreased sleep is linked longitudinally and directionally to alterations in the brain's intrinsic functional architecture. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Molloy MF, Taxali A, Angstadt M, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractPrevious cross-sectional studies demonstrated that reduced sleep is associated with widespread changes in the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture. The present study extends this work by clarifying links between sleep and the developing brain during adolescence both longitudinally (across two years) and directionally (does reduced sleep cause connectivity changes or are connectivity changes the cause of reduced sleep?). Our novel approach combines the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a longitudinal observational study of 11,878 youth, and a second sample of 76 adult participants scanned after a typical night of sleep and after a sleep deprivation causal manipulation. First, in the ABCD dataset, we identified a robust and generalizable neurosignature of reduced sleep. Second, in an independent sample of ABCD participants, we demonstrate that greater reductions in sleep duration across two years are significantly related to greater expression of this neurosignature. Third, in the sleep deprivation dataset, we show that expression of the ABCD reduced sleep neurosignature is significantly increased within individuals following sleep deprivation, and that neurosignatures of reduced sleep from the two samples exhibit significant spatial correspondence. These results clarify links between sleep and the developing brain and provide novel evidence that changes in sleep produce characteristic brain functional connectivity changes across adolescence. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2025/12/31AuthorsMolloy MF, Taxali A, Angstadt M, Toda-Thorne K, McCurry KL, Weigard A, Kardan O, Lehrmann C, Vens J, Michael C, Heitzeg MM, Sripada CKeywordsAdolescence, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, FMRI, Longitudinal change, Resting state, Sleep, Somatomotor connectivityDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101668 |
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| Toggle | Ethnic Discrimination Moderates Genetic Influences on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Psychopathology. | Behavior genetics | Su J, Trevino A, Jamil B, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractThis study examined the degree to which genetic and environmental factors contribute to externalizing and internalizing problems in early adolescence, and the role of ethnic discrimination in moderating genetic and environmental influences. The sample included 740 racially/ethnically minoritized adolescent twins (50.3% female, mean age = 11.04 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Adolescents reported on their ethnic discrimination experiences, and parents reported on adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing problems. Using univariate biometric twin modeling, we found that both genetic and environmental factors contributed to individual differences in externalizing and internalizing problems. Ethnic discrimination experiences moderated genetic influences on externalizing and internalizing problems, such that genetic influences were higher among youth who experienced higher levels of ethnic discrimination. Ethnic discrimination experiences exacerbate genetic influences on externalizing and internalizing problems among racial/ethnic minoritized adolescents. These findings advance our understanding of the interplay between genetic and cultural factors underlying externalizing and internalizing psychopathology among racially/ethnically minoritized adolescents. JournalBehavior geneticsPublished2025/12/29AuthorsSu J, Trevino A, Jamil B, Lemery-Chalfant K, Elam KK, Causadias JMKeywordsEthnic discrimination, Externalizing, Gene-environment interaction, Internalizing, Racial-ethnic minorityDOI10.1007/s10519-025-10247-9 |
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| Toggle | Social Environmental Factors Help to Explain Early Substance Use Initiation Among Youth With Comorbid Psychological and Somatic Symptom Trajectories. | The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine | Voepel-Lewis T, Stoddard S, Marriott D, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractTo examine how substance use (SU) initiation during early adolescence is influenced by youths’ comorbid psychological and somatic symptom trajectory (C-PSST), risk perceptions, and their proximal environment. JournalThe Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent MedicinePublished2025/12/27AuthorsVoepel-Lewis T, Stoddard S, Marriott D, Evans-Polce RJ, Herrenkohl TI, Seng J, Scott EL, Khadr L, Boyd CJKeywordsAdolescence, Comorbid symptoms, Environmental influences, Parent, Peer, Substance use, Substance use initiationDOI10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.10.024 |
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| Toggle | Executive functions and psychopathology: A transdiagnostic network analysis. | PloS one | Ganai UJ, Bhushan B | 2025 | |
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AbstractMental health research is shifting toward dimensional, transdiagnostic frameworks, yet the role of executive functions (EFs) across psychopathological domains remains unclear. In this study, we examined transdiagnostic associations and potential directional pathways linking EFs with psychopathology in a large sample of preadolescents (N = 9,119) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We employed a Gaussian graphical model (GGM) to estimate partial correlations and a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to infer potential directional influences between EFs and psychopathology. Modest associations were observed among the EFs and psychopathology. Working memory emerged as a central node, showing positive associations with attention problems, social problems, and rule-breaking behavior, and negative associations with anxious/depressed and somatic complaints. These results were mirrored in the DAG, which identified working memory and attention problems as key converging hubs. Sex-stratified analyses revealed notable differences in network structure. Our findings reveal a core transdiagnostic role for working memory in preadolescent psychopathology. JournalPloS onePublished2025/12/26AuthorsGanai UJ, Bhushan BKeywordsDOI10.1371/journal.pone.0338435 |
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| Toggle | Stimulant medications affect arousal and reward, not attention networks. | Cell | Kay BP, Wheelock MD, Siegel JS, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractPrescription stimulants (e.g., methylphenidate) are thought to improve attention, but evidence from prior fMRI studies is conflicted. We utilized resting-state fMRI data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (n = 11,875; 8-11 years old) and validated the functional connectivity findings in a precision imaging drug trial with highly sampled (n = 5, 165-210 min each) healthy adults (methylphenidate 40 mg). Stimulant-related connectivity differences in sensorimotor regions matched fMRI patterns of daytime arousal, sleeping longer at night, and norepinephrine transporter expression. Taking stimulants reversed the effects of sleep deprivation on connectivity and school grades. Connectivity was also changed in salience and parietal memory networks, which are important for dopamine-mediated, reward-motivated learning, but not the brain’s attention systems (e.g., dorsal attention network). The combined noradrenergic and dopaminergic effects of stimulants may drive brain organization towards a more wakeful and rewarded configuration, improving task effort and persistence without effects on attention networks. JournalCellPublished2025/12/24AuthorsKay BP, Wheelock MD, Siegel JS, Raut RV, Chauvin RJ, Metoki A, Rajesh A, Eck A, Pollaro J, Wang A, Suljic V, Adeyemo B, Baden NJ, Scheidter KM, Monk JS, Whiting FI, Ramirez-Perez N, Krimmel SR, Shinohara RT, Tervo-Clemmens B, Hermosillo RJM, Nelson SM, Hendrickson TJ, Madison T, Moore LA, Miranda-Domínguez Ó, Randolph A, Feczko E, Roland JL, Nicol GE, Laumann TO, Marek S, Gordon EM, Raichle ME, Barch DM, Fair DA, Dosenbach NUFKeywordsADHD, arousal, brain networks, brain-wide association studies, fMRI, functional connectivity, methylphenidate, resting state, reward, stimulantsDOI10.1016/j.cell.2025.11.039 |
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| Toggle | Prospective associations of sleep duration and screen time with transition from overweight/obesity to normal BMI in U.S. adolescents. | International journal of obesity (2005) | Al-Shoaibi AA, Helmer CK, Ganson KT, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractShorter sleep duration and longer screen time are established risk factors for adolescent obesity. However, the extent to which these behaviors are prospectively associated with the transition back from overweight/obesity to a healthy status remains unclear. We examined whether sleep duration and screen time among adolescents with overweight/obesity are associated with the likelihood of transitioning to a normal body mass index (BMI). JournalInternational journal of obesity (2005)Published2025/12/23AuthorsAl-Shoaibi AA, Helmer CK, Ganson KT, Testa A, Lavender JM, Dooley EE, Pettee Gabriel K, Kiss O, Baker FC, Nagata JMKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41366-025-01980-6 |
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| Toggle | A Bayesian Integrative Mixed Modeling Framework for Analysis of the Multi-Site Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. | Data science in science | Neher A, Stamenos A, Fiecas M, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractIntegrating high-dimensional, heterogeneous data from multi-site cohort studies with complex hierarchical structures poses significant variable selection and prediction challenges. We extend the Bayesian Integrative Analysis and Prediction (BIP) framework to enable simultaneous variable selection and outcome modeling in data of a multi-view nested hierarchical structure. We apply the proposed Bayesian Integrative Mixed Modeling (BIPmixed) framework to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, leveraging multi-view data, including structural and functional MRI and early life adversity (ELA) metrics, to identify relevant variables and predict the behavioral outcome. BIPmixed incorporates 2-level nested random effects to enhance interpretability and make predictions in hierarchical data settings. Simulation studies illustrate BIPmixed’s robustness in distinct random effect settings, highlighting its use for complex study designs. Our findings suggest that BIPmixed effectively integrates multi-view data while accounting for nested sampling, making it a valuable tool for analyzing large-scale studies with hierarchical data. JournalData science in sciencePublished2025/12/23AuthorsNeher A, Stamenos A, Fiecas M, Safo SE, Chekouo TKeywordsNeuroimaging, early life adversity, hierarchical bayesian factor models, latent variables, multi-view integration, predictive modelingDOI10.1080/26941899.2025.2600125 |
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| Toggle | Latent brain subtypes of chronotype reveal unique behavioral and health profiles across population cohorts. | Nature communications | Zhou L, Saltoun K, Marotta J, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractChronotype is shaped by the complex interplay of endogenous and exogenous factors. This time-enduring trait ties into societal behaviors and is linked to psychiatric and metabolic conditions. Despite its multifaceted nature, prior research has treated chronotype as a monolithic trait across the population, risking overlooking substantial heterogeneity in neural and behavioral fingerprints. To uncover hidden subgroups, we develop a supervised pattern-learning framework integrating three complementary brain-imaging modalities with deep behavioral and health profiling from 27,030 UK Biobank participants. We identify five distinct, biologically valid chronotype subtypes. Each demonstrates unique patterns across brain, behavioral and health profiles. External validation in 10,550 US children from the ABCD Study cohort reveals reversed age distributions and replicates sex-associated brain-behavioral patterns, suggesting that potential divergences between chronotype traits observed throughout adulthood may begin to emerge early in life. These findings highlight underappreciated sources of population variation that echo the rhythm of people’s inner clock. JournalNature communicationsPublished2025/12/22AuthorsZhou L, Saltoun K, Marotta J, Aggarwal S, Kopal J, Carrier J, Storch KF, Dunbar RIM, Bzdok DKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41467-025-66784-8 |
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| Toggle | Polygenic risk and trajectories of depressive symptoms in diverse adolescents: Gene-environment interplay with family conflict and parental acceptance. | Development and psychopathology | Jamil B, Su J, Elam K, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractPast research suggests that polygenic scores for major depressive disorder (MDD-PGS), family conflict, and parental acceptance may all predict depressive outcomes among adolescents. Few studies have examined the interplay of these factors through gene-environment interaction (GxE) and gene-environment correlation (rGE) in racially/ethnically diverse samples of adolescents. Methods: Utilizing latent curve analysis and growth mixture modeling in a diverse sample of 10,771 adolescents from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the present study examined how MDD-PGS, family conflict, and parental acceptance predicted depressive trajectory class membership through GxE and rGE in independent models for Black, Latinx, and White adolescents. Results: Among all youth, MDD-PGS and family conflict were associated with greater intercept-levels of depressive symptoms. Among Latinx and White youth, parental acceptance was associated with lower intercept levels of depressive symptoms. MDD-PGS (among all youth), lower parental acceptance (among Latinx and White youth), and greater family conflict (among White youth) increased odds of higher-risk trajectories. Evidence of rGE through family conflict was found among White youth. No evidence of GxE was found. Conclusion: Our findings highlight utility of MDD-PGS and the need to expand conceptualizations of environment to identify salient supportive and stressful experiences across racially/ethnically diverse youth. JournalDevelopment and psychopathologyPublished2025/12/22AuthorsJamil B, Su J, Elam K, Lemery-Chalfant K, Cruz R, Grimm K, Seaton EKeywordsadolescent depressive symptoms, family conflict, gene-environment interplay, parental acceptance, polygenic risk scoreDOI10.1017/S0954579425101028 |
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| Toggle | Contributions of neighborhood violent crime and perceived neighborhood safety to cognition and mental health in the adolescent brain cognitive development study. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Lindsley PM, Elsayed NM, Barch DM | 2025 | |
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AbstractThis study investigates how objective neighborhood violence and perceived neighborhood safety (PNS) relate to adolescent mental health, cognitive performance, and brain structure. We examined whether PNS moderated the effects of neighborhood violence, explored neural correlates of PNS, tested longitudinal relationships, and assessed sociodemographic and psychological predictors of PNS. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2025/12/18AuthorsLindsley PM, Elsayed NM, Barch DMKeywordsCognition, Developmental adversity, Mental health, Neighborhood safety, Neighborhood violenceDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101660 |
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| Toggle | Unique and shared internalizing and externalizing genetic factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Findings from the adolescent brain cognitive development study. | Journal of affective disorders | Thomas NS, Hung IT, Ceja Z, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractSuicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) represent a tremendous public health problem among children and adolescents. Although internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) phenotypes have been linked to STBs, less is known about the unique and shared genetic contributions of INT and EXT to STBs. JournalJournal of affective disordersPublished2025/12/18AuthorsThomas NS, Hung IT, Ceja Z, García-Marín LM, Stephenson M, Castro-de-Araujo LS, Lannoy S, Thorp J, Rentería M, Edwards AC, Rabinowitz JAKeywordsDOI10.1016/j.jad.2025.120931 |
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| Toggle | Associations between early life adversity and the development of gray matter macrostructure and microstructure. | Psychological medicine | Thorsen AL, Boehmisch FF, Alnæs D, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractEarly life adversity (ELA) is common and cross-sectionally associated with brain gray matter structure, including cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and subcortical volumes in childhood. However, to which degree ELA influences the trajectory of gray matter macrostructural and microstructural development during childhood and adolescence remains largely unexplored. JournalPsychological medicinePublished2025/12/18AuthorsThorsen AL, Boehmisch FF, Alnæs D, Dahl A, Westlye LT, Ousdal OTKeywordsbrain development, early life adversity, gray matter, macrostructure, microstructure, traumaDOI10.1017/S0033291725102651 |
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| Toggle | Adolescent screen time, anxiety/depression, and alcohol/e-cigarette use: evidence from the ABCD study. | BMC public health | Parker MA, Harton MR, Mattey-Mora PP, et al. | 2025 | |
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AbstractJournalBMC public healthPublished2025/12/17AuthorsParker MA, Harton MR, Mattey-Mora PP, Streck JMKeywordsAdolescents, Anxiety, Depression, Group-based trajectory modeling, Screen time, Social mediaDOI10.1186/s12889-025-25956-3 |
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| Toggle | Parental Monitoring as a Predictor of Self-Injurious Behavior: the Mediating Role of Dual Systems Model Constructs. | Child psychiatry and human development | Wojciechowski T | 2025 | |
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AbstractWeak parental monitoring has been identified as a risk factor for self-injurious behavior. However, there remains a dearth of research identifying mechanisms underpinning this relationship. Variance in dual systems model cognitive development (impulse control, sensation-seeking) was tested as a set of mediators of this relationship. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and indirect effects of interest. Weak parental monitoring predicted increased risk for self-injurious behavior at follow-up. Low impulse control significantly mediated this relationship, whereas sensation-seeking was not a significant mediator. These findings indicated the importance of strengthening parental monitoring and fostering healthy impulse control development to prevent self-injurious behavior. A multi-arm program could address these factors at the parent and child level. JournalChild psychiatry and human developmentPublished2025/12/16AuthorsWojciechowski TKeywordsDual systems model, Mediation, Parental monitoring, Self-InjuryDOI10.1007/s10578-025-01952-x |
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| Toggle | Downregulation of integrin α3 in ADHD mirrored in mutant mouse model by dopamine-dependent hippocampal AMPAR expression. | Molecular psychiatry | Yao X, Chen R, Zhu J, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractIntegrin α3 is critical for proper neuron-glia cell adhesion and dendrite development, implicated in various neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, mice deficient in integrin α3 (NEX-Itga3 mice) exhibit behavioral anomalies that mirror Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), including increased mobility, impulsive disinhibition and impaired working memory. The mutant mice exhibit a reduced hippocampal volume and decreased α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) surface distribution in the hippocampus. Utilizing two-pimaging combined with whole-cell recordings, diminished AMPAR function and increased prevalence of silent synapses were observed in the NEX-Itga3 mice. Systemic treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) and intra-hippocampal administration of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF81297 improved ADHD-like behaviors, associated with enhanced dopamine D1 receptor activity and increased insertion of AMPARs in the hippocampus. Our analysis of the ABCD database uncovered a significant positive correlation between reduced integrin α3 expression and the prevalence of ADHD in adolescent humans. By identifying hippocampal AMPAR regulation as a key pathway through which ITGA3 influences ADHD-related phenotypes, this study uncovers a previously underappreciated hippocampal mechanism in ADHD and suggests new therapeutic strategies targeting synaptic modulation and hippocampal circuits. JournalMolecular psychiatryPublished2025/12/15AuthorsYao X, Chen R, Zhu J, Hou R, Xiang S, Jia T, Gu Y, Wang Z, Hu H, Chen H, Wang H, Feng J, Robbins TW, Wang Y, Higley MJ, Koleske AJ, Xiao XKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41380-025-03399-x |
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| Toggle | Distinct cognitive and functional connectivity features from healthy cohorts can identify clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder. | Molecular psychiatry | Hearne LJ, Yeo BTT, Webb L, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractImproving diagnostic accuracy of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using models of brain imaging data is a key goal of the field, but this objective is challenging due to the limited size and phenotypic depth of clinical datasets. Leveraging the phenotypic diversity in large non-clinical datasets such as the UK Biobank (UKBB), offers a potential solution to this problem. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether classification models trained on non-clinical populations will generalise to individuals with clinical OCD. This question is also relevant for the conceptualisation of OCD; specifically, whether the symptomology of OCD exists on a continuum from normal to pathological. Here, we examined a recently published “meta-matching” model trained on functional connectivity data from five large normative datasets (N = 45,507) to predict cognitive, health and demographic variables. Specifically, we tested whether this model could classify OCD status in three independent datasets (N = 345). We found that the model could identify out-of-sample OCD individuals. Notably, the most predictive functional connectivity features mapped onto known cortico-striatal abnormalities in OCD and correlated with genetic brain expression maps previously implicated in the disorder. Further, the meta-matching model relied upon estimates of cognitive functions, such as cognitive flexibility and inhibition, to successfully predict OCD. These findings suggest that variability in non-clinical brain and behavioural features can discriminate clinical OCD status. These results support a dimensional and transdiagnostic conceptualisation of the brain and behavioural basis of OCD, with implications for research approaches and treatment targets. JournalMolecular psychiatryPublished2025/12/14AuthorsHearne LJ, Yeo BTT, Webb L, Zalesky A, Fitzgerald PB, Murphy OW, Tian YE, Breakspear M, Hall CV, Choi S, Kim M, Kwon JS, Cocchi LKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41380-025-03416-z |
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| Toggle | Methylphenidate reorganizes cortical hierarchy through dopaminergic modulation. | Nature communications | Tomasi D, Manza P, Demiral ŞB, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractDopaminergic signaling shapes large-scale brain network architecture, constraining neural communication along a principal gradient that spans unimodal sensorimotor to transmodal association cortices. While more differentiated gradients are typically linked to enhanced cognition, it remains unclear whether dopamine-enhancing psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate (MP), amplify or compress this functional hierarchy to support attention. Across two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in healthy adults (n = 38 and n = 20), we combined 60 mg oral MP with PET and fMRI to assess striatal dopamine function and cortical organization. MP consistently compressed the principal gradient, reducing segregation between sensory and association areas. The degree of compression predicted individual variation in striatal D1 and D2 receptor availability. MP-induced gradient compression in inferior parietal cortex tracked attention improvements. Critically, we validated key findings in a large, independent cohort from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n = 4,958). These results highlight a dopamine-sensitive mechanism linking cortical functional reorganization with cognitive performance. JournalNature communicationsPublished2025/12/13AuthorsTomasi D, Manza P, Demiral ŞB, Yan W, Miller KB, Veenker F, Zhao J, Lildharrie C, Yonga MV, Abey S, VanDine M, Wang GJ, Volkow NDKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41467-025-67477-y |
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| Toggle | Pubertal timing and tempo differentially influence cortical and subcortical maturation in adolescence. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | McCann CF, Cheng TW, Mills KL, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractPuberty is a developmental period marked by an influx of sex steroids, which trigger physical and psychological changes. Furthermore, puberty elicits changes in structural brain development that are distinct from those associated with chronological age. Emerging evidence suggests that interindividual differences in pubertal development, such as timing, whether one reaches puberty milestones before or after peers, and tempo, or whether one progresses through puberty at a slower or faster rate than peers, may also play a significant role in shaping structural brain development. The present study leverages longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development(ABCD Study®) to disentangle the influences of pubertal timing and tempo from chronological age on cortical and subcortical structural brain development during the adolescent period. Individuals with earlier timing tend to exhibit accelerated normative developmental trajectories compared to later timing peers, while individuals with faster tempos tend to exhibit thicker cortices, more cortical surface area, and greater subcortical volume compared to slower tempo peers. These findings underscore the significance of incorporating pubertal timing and tempo into models of structural brain development during puberty, thereby enhancing our understanding of variations in neurodevelopmental trajectories during adolescence. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2025/12/12AuthorsMcCann CF, Cheng TW, Mills KL, Silvers JAKeywordsABCD Study®, Adolescence, Pubertal tempo, Pubertal timing, Structural brain developmentDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101657 |
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| Toggle | Association of sports and physical activity with mild traumatic brain injury and behavioral and neurocognitive function. | Brain injury | Meng W, Vaida F, Dennis EL, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractSports and physical activity (sports/PA) participation benefits children psychologically but may be associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). We examined associations between individual sports/PA and mTBI, and whether participation is associated with physical, behavioral/emotional, and neurocognitive outcomes among children aged 9-10. JournalBrain injuryPublished2025/12/11AuthorsMeng W, Vaida F, Dennis EL, Wilde EA, Jacobus J, Yang X, Cheng M, Troyer EA, Delfel EL, Abildskov T, Hesselink JR, Bigler ED, Max JEKeywordsMild traumatic brain injury, behavior, depression, emotion, neurocognition, sports/PADOI10.1080/02699052.2025.2600374 |
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| Toggle | Cognitive Resilience and Vulnerability to Socioeconomic Disadvantage: Predictors Across Individual, Family, School, and Neighborhood Contexts. | Developmental science | Shariq D, Romeo RR, Gard AM | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThough much research links socioeconomic disadvantage to cognitive difficulties during adolescence, many youth demonstrate resilience. Person-centered approaches can be used to quantify this developmental heterogeneity and challenge deficit-centered frameworks. This study leverages person-centered and data-driven methods to quantify and characterize cognitive heterogeneity in a socioeconomically diverse sample of early adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N = 9839; 47.7% female sex; M = 9.90 years; 46.7% White). Four profiles were identified based on their access to socioeconomic resources (SER) and multi-domain cognitive functioning, including two profiles characterized by moderate-to-high SER (74.5%) and two profiles characterized by low SER (25.5%). Among youth in low-SER environments, 88.6% demonstrated cognitive performance scores similar to youth with moderate-to-high access to SER (“cognitive resilience”), whereas 11.4% demonstrated markedly lower performance relative to the other profiles (i.e., 1.3-2.3 SD below the sample mean; “cognitive vulnerability”). Ridge regression identified ecological factors associated with profile membership at the individual level and within family, neighborhood, and school contexts. Suburban residence (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30), advanced pubertal maturity (OR = 1.20), bilingualism (OR = 1.14), and greater caregiver monitoring (OR = 1.10) were most strongly associated with lower-SER youths’ membership in the resilient versus the vulnerable profile. Results emphasize the need to challenge deficit-centered frameworks by investigating heterogeneity within profiles of adversity-exposed youth and identifying context-specific risk and protective factors. JournalDevelopmental sciencePublished2025/12/11AuthorsShariq D, Romeo RR, Gard AMKeywordscognitive development, early adolescence, ecological systems, person‐centered modeling, resilience, socioeconomic resourcesDOI10.1111/desc.70105 |
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| Toggle | COVID-19 infection and longitudinal changes in olfactory-related brain structures in children: analysis of ABCD study data. | European journal of pediatrics | French C, Buzzell A, Monahan Z, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the social aspect of child development. However, few studies have examined its impact on the structural development of children’s brains-particularly the olfactory system-given the reported anosmia. This study aims to assess potential structural differences in the olfactory system among children with reported past COVID-19 infections compared with children who did not report having COVID-19 using data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We conducted a time-series analysis of MRI data from the ABCD study to determine if the volume of brain structures associated with the olfactory system was impacted by COVID-19 infection. The ABCD study is comprised of approximately 12,000 children born from 2006 to 2008 from 21 sites across the United States. We used regression analysis to compare the differences in brain volume growth in the structures of the primary and secondary olfactory cortices. Secondarily, we compared brain structure development among those with COVID-19 by whether or not they experienced COVID-related anosmia. Of 2423 participants, 8.1% (n = 195) had prior COVID-19, and 22.97% (n = 34) of those reported anosmia. Children with COVID-19 showed smaller amygdala (P = .023), hippocampus (P = .001), parahippocampal gyrus (P = .004), insula (P = .047), and total cortical volumes (P = .016), with larger volumes in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (P = .047). Those reporting anosmia had a smaller hippocampus (P = .013), right anterior segment of the circular sulcus of the insula (P = .002), left posterior cingulate cortex (P < .001), right posterior cingulate cortex (P = .003), right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (P < .001), and total cortical volume (P < .001) compared to those without anosmia. JournalEuropean journal of pediatricsPublished2025/12/10AuthorsFrench C, Buzzell A, Monahan Z, Kalani MYS, Hartwell MKeywordsAnosmia, COVID19, Neurodevelopment, OlfactionDOI10.1007/s00431-025-06683-8 |
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| Toggle | The genetic architecture of brainstem structures. | Nature communications | Xue H, Fu J, Geng Z, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractThe brainstem houses numerous nuclei and tracts that serve vital functions. Genome-wide associations with brainstem substructure volumes have been explored in European individuals, yet other ancestries remain under-represented. Here, we conduct cross-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analyses in 103,098 individuals for brainstem and 78,062 individuals for eight substructure volumes, including 7094 Chinese Han individuals. We identify 713 locus-trait associations with brainstem and substructure volumes at P < 5.56 ×10, comprising 569 new associations. Two associations show different effect sizes, while 496 associations have similar effect sizes between ancestries. We prioritize 186 genes associated with brainstem volumetric traits. We find both shared and distinct genetic loci, genes, and pathways for midbrain, pons, and medulla volumes, along with the shared genetic architectures related to disease phenotypes and physiological functions. The results provide new insights into the genetic architectures of brainstem and substructure volumes and their genetic associations with brainstem physiologies and pathologies. JournalNature communicationsPublished2025/12/10AuthorsXue H, Fu J, Geng Z, Cheng J, Wang M, Zhang L, Cui G, Yu Y, Liao W, Zhang H, Gao B, Xu X, Han T, Yao Z, Zhang Q, Qin W, Liu F, Liang M, Wang S, Xu Q, Xu J, Wang C, Liu N, Ji Y, Zhang P, Li W, Wei W, Shi D, Lui S, Yan Z, Chen F, Zhang J, Shen W, Miao Y, Wang D, Gao JH, Yang Y, Xu K, Xian J, Zhang B, Zhang X, Zuo XN, Li MJ, Ye Z, Qiu S, Zhu W, Yu CKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41467-025-67221-6 |
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| Toggle | Back to the future: Linking early psychiatric symptoms to transdiagnostic cognitive functioning in at-risk youth from the adolescent brain cognitive development study. | Journal of psychiatric research | Wang CJ, Raucher-Chéné D, Lavigne KM | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractCognitive impairment (problems in thinking, learning, remembering, judging, and decision-making) is central to many psychiatric disorders and may often appear well before the symptom onset. Given the moderate heritability of psychiatric disorders, children with first-degree relatives affected by severe mental illness are at higher risk and may show early psychiatric symptoms. Our study explored the potential association between cognitive functioning and early subsyndromal transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms in at-risk youth. We compared 924 at-risk youth (aged nine to ten) with 924 matched controls from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. At-risk youth performed worse than controls in episodic memory, executive function, and working memory and exhibited more psychiatric symptoms (i.e., emotional dysfunction, psychosis and externalizing symptoms) than controls. Multivariate partial least squares in at-risk youth revealed a pattern linking heightened psychiatric symptoms with reduced cognitive performance across all domains except executive function, driven primarily by memory and language abilities, suggesting the well-established link between cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms is already present in at-risk youth, even prior to manifestation of clinically meaningful levels of cognitive impairment or psychiatric symptoms. Such an association could potentially guide prediction, prevention and early intervention for children who are at risk of developing mental illness later in life. JournalJournal of psychiatric researchPublished2025/12/09AuthorsWang CJ, Raucher-Chéné D, Lavigne KMKeywordsChildren, Episodic memory, First-degree relatives, Hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology, High-risk, ReadingDOI10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.12.017 |
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| Toggle | Social Jet lag Has Detrimental Effects on Hallmark Characteristics of Adolescent Brain Structure, Circuit Organization and Intrinsic Dynamics. | Sleep | Risner M, Katz ES, Stamoulis C | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractTo investigate associations between social jet lag and the developing adolescent brain. JournalSleepPublished2025/12/08AuthorsRisner M, Katz ES, Stamoulis CKeywordsAdolescence, Brain Development: Network organization, Intrinsic dynamics, Resting-state fMRI, Social Jet lag, Structural characteristicsDOI10.1093/sleep/zsaf392 |
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| Toggle | Exploring the impact of childhood adversity on adolescent executive function: The role of pubertal timing. | Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy | Nordine A, McAuley T | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractAt 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). JournalPsychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policyPublished2025/12/04AuthorsNordine A, McAuley TKeywordsDOI10.1037/tra0002093 |
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| Toggle | Latent space-based network analysis for brain-behavior linking in neuroimaging. | Nature methods | Wang S, Zhang X, Liu Y, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractWe 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. JournalNature methodsPublished2025/12/04AuthorsWang S, Zhang X, Liu Y, Xu W, Tian X, Zhao YKeywordsDOI10.1038/s41592-025-02896-9 |
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| Toggle | Delay discounting violations vary by adolescent sociodemographics: Excluding nonsystematic data may bias conclusions. | Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology | Gelino BW, Felton JW, Hung IT, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractDelay 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). JournalExperimental and clinical psychopharmacologyPublished2025/12/04AuthorsGelino BW, Felton JW, Hung IT, Strickland JC, Kahn GD, Thomas NS, Gowin JL, Sloan ME, Palmer AA, Sanchez-Roige S, Sanches MR, Yip SW, Maher BS, Rabinowitz JAKeywordsDOI10.1037/pha0000809 |
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| Toggle | Neighborhood disadvantage and adolescent sleep health: a longitudinal population-based study. | Lancet regional health. Americas | Niu L, Tan L, Diaz A, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractNeighborhood 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. JournalLancet regional health. AmericasPublished2025/12/03AuthorsNiu L, Tan L, Diaz A, Xiao Y, Li Y, Wang YKeywordsAdolescent health, Neighborhood disadvantage, Puberty, Sex difference, SleepDOI10.1016/j.lana.2025.101320 |
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| Toggle | Associations between social media and crystallized and fluid performance trajectories in early adolescence. | Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence | Carvalho C, Ravindran N | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractLongitudinal 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. JournalJournal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on AdolescencePublished2025/12/01AuthorsCarvalho C, Ravindran NKeywordsadolescence, cognitive functioning, executive functioning, social media useDOI10.1111/jora.70125 |
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| Toggle | Peer victimization and emotion regulation strategies in adolescents: A cross-lagged panel model. | Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence | Alexander KN, Turner MS, Salazar JP, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractMany 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. JournalJournal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on AdolescencePublished2025/12/01AuthorsAlexander KN, Turner MS, Salazar JP, Cook ML, Boyce LK, Meter DJ, Ramos AMKeywordsadolescents, emotion regulation, peer victimizationDOI10.1111/jora.70119 |
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| Toggle | The cumulative impact of fine particulate matter exposure on hippocampal volume and working memory: Insights from prenatal and adolescent exposures from the ABCD study. | Developmental cognitive neuroscience | Damme KSF, Vargas TG, Bauer JA | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractGlobal 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. JournalDevelopmental cognitive neurosciencePublished2025/12/01AuthorsDamme KSF, Vargas TG, Bauer JAKeywordsearly development, fine particulate matter, hippocampal function, hippocampal volumes, working memoryDOI10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101648 |
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| Toggle | Sex Differences in Behavioral and Psychopathological Trajectories From Late Childhood to Early Adolescence: Implications for Suicidality Risk. | Depression and anxiety | Duan X, Tao Y, Situ M, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractAlthough 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. JournalDepression and anxietyPublished2025/12/01AuthorsDuan X, Tao Y, Situ M, Yu X, Jing D, Liu P, Yang Z, Huang YKeywordsadolescence, attempted suicide, behaviors, psychopathology, suicidal ideationDOI10.1155/da/9546609 |
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| Toggle | Examining Causal Pathways to Suicidal Ideation and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. | Suicide & life-threatening behavior | Yan M, Kummerfeld E, Rawls E, et al. | 2025 | |
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PubMed Record
AbstractSuicide 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. JournalSuicide & life-threatening behaviorPublished2025/12/01AuthorsYan M, Kummerfeld E, Rawls E, Cullen KR, Klimes-Dougan BKeywordsadolescents, causal discovery analysis, neurocognition, neuroimaging, nonsuicidal self‐injury, suicideDOI10.1111/sltb.70068 |
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