Resilient functioning is associated with altered structural brain network topology in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity
Development and Psychopathology, vol. 35, pp. 2253–2263
Abstract
Abstract Childhood adversity is one of the strongest predictors of adolescent mental illness. Therefore, it is critical that the mechanisms that aid resilient functioning in individuals exposed to childhood adversity are better understood. Here, we examined whether resilient functioning was related to structural brain network topology. We quantified resilient functioning at the individual level as psychosocial functioning adjusted for the severity of childhood adversity in a large sample of adolescents ( N = 2406, aged 14–24). Next, we examined nodal degree (the number of connections that brain regions have in a network) using brain-wide cortical thickness measures in a representative subset ( N = 275) using a sliding window approach. We found that higher resilient functioning was associated with lower nodal degree of multiple regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the posterior superior temporal sulcus ( z > 1.645). During adolescence, decreases in nodal degree are thought to reflect a normative developmental process that is part of the extensive remodeling of structural brain network topology. Prior findings in this sample showed that decreased nodal degree was associated with age, as such our findings of negative associations between nodal degree and resilient functioning may therefore potentially resemble a more mature structural network configuration in individuals with higher resilient functioning.
Authors 15
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University of Cambridge · Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Laboratory of Neurosciences, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, México City, Mexico
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Public health and Primary Care, Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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University of Cambridge · Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla · Universidad de Sevilla
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Dpto. de Fisiología Médica y Biofísica. Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS) HUVR/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging · University College London · Wellcome Trust
Affiliation as printed
Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Leiden University · University of Cambridge
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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