Does the Relationship between Age and Brain Structure Differ in Youth with Conduct Disorder?
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, vol. 52, pp. 1135–1146
Abstract
Abstract Conduct disorder (CD) is characterised by persistent antisocial and aggressive behaviour and typically emerges in childhood or adolescence. Although several authors have proposed that CD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, very little evidence is available about brain development in this condition. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, and some indirect evidence for delayed brain maturation has been reported. However, no detailed analysis of age-related changes in brain structure in youth with CD has been conducted. Using cross-sectional MRI data, this study aimed to explore differences in brain maturation in youth with CD versus healthy controls to provide further understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes underlying CD. 291 CD cases (153 males) and 379 healthy controls (160 males) aged 9–18 years (Mage = 14.4) were selected from the European multisite FemNAT-CD study. Structural MRI scans were analysed using surface-based morphometry followed by application of the ENIGMA quality control protocols. An atlas-based approach was used to investigate group differences and test for group-by-age and group-by-age-by-sex interactions in cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes. Relative to healthy controls, the CD group showed lower surface area across frontal, temporal and parietal regions as well as lower total surface area. No significant group-by-age or group-by-age-by-sex interactions were observed on any brain structure measure. These findings suggest that CD is associated with lower surface area across multiple cortical regions, but do not support the idea that CD is associated with delayed brain maturation, at least within the age bracket considered here.
Authors 19
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Child Development Institute, Toronto, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, Middlesex University, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Goethe University Frankfurt · University Hospital Frankfurt
Affiliation as printed
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
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Goethe University Frankfurt · University Hospital Frankfurt · Hochschule Fresenius
Affiliation as printed
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
School of Psychology, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany
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Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Technische Universität Dresden · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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University of Zurich · ETH Zurich
Affiliation as printed
Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Neuroscience Centre Zurich (ZNZ), University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Kerstin Konrad Aachen Child Neuropsychology Section Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry JARA-Brain Institute II
Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
JARA- Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen and Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
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University of Basel · University Hospital of Basel · Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel
Affiliation as printed
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Goethe University Frankfurt · University Hospital Frankfurt
Affiliation as printed
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Graeme F. Fairchild corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK. gf353@bath.ac.uk
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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