Dimensional Associations Between Conduct Problems and Brain Structure Across 18 International Cohorts in ENIGMA
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Although conduct problems (CPs) are continuously distributed, little is known about how dimensional measures of CPs map onto brain structure. Therefore a large sample was used to comprehensively assess associations between dimensionally measured CPs and brain structure. METHOD: T1-weighted structural brain magnetic resonance imaging scans from 14,160 youths (5-21 years old, 46.2% female) across 18 international case-control, community-based, and population-based cohorts were preprocessed using ENIGMA-standardized protocols. Regression models examined associations between CPs and cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes, adjusting for age, sex, and intracranial volume. Moderation by sex, age, and callous-unemotional traits was also investigated. RESULTS: Widespread but small (β = -0.02 to -0.07) negative associations were observed between CPs and surface area (total surface area, 23/34 regions), cortical thickness (average thickness, 15/34 regions), and amygdalar and hippocampal volumes. Sex was a key moderator, with many surface area associations limited to boys and some thickness associations limited to girls. Some associations were stronger in younger children and at lower levels of callous-unemotional traits. The impact of adjusting for IQ and other psychopathology varied by outcome (eg, most surface area findings survived IQ adjustment, whereas cortical thickness associations did not). CONCLUSION: CPs were associated with subtle, yet widespread, alterations in brain structure. Findings overlapped with differences observed in categorically measured conduct disorder, but novel associations with cortical thickness were identified. This provides further evidence that neuroanatomical differences are not limited to youth with clinically elevated CPs. Our findings have potential implications for neurocognitive models of CPs as they extend beyond the regions highlighted in these models. STUDY REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Investigating dimensional relationships between conduct problems and brain structure: an ENIGMA mega-analysis; https://osf.io/nzj3r/.
Authors 97
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Marlene Staginnus corresponding
Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ms2290@bath.ac.uk
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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National Institutes of Health · National Institute of Mental Health
Affiliation as printed
National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP), Bethesda, Maryland
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · Jianghan University
Affiliation as printed
Jianghan University, Wuhan, China; Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Affiliation as printed
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Affiliation as printed
University College London, United Kingdom
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Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
LUMC Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
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Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
Affiliation as printed
Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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Affiliation as printed
School of Psychology, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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University of Basel · Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel
Affiliation as printed
University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
School of Academic Psychiatry, King's College London, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Child Development Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom
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Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · Fudan University
Affiliation as printed
Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, China; PONS Centre, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
University of Ulm, Germany; Center for Psychiatry Calw, Böblingen, Germany
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King's College London · Maudsley Hospital
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom; Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology and Rare Diseases (CIPPRD), Michael Rutter Centre, Maudsley Hospital, London, United Kingdom; HealthTracker Ltd, Gillingham, Kent, United Kingdom
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Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul · Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre · Child Mind Institute
Affiliation as printed
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Child Mind Institute, New York, New York
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
University College London, United Kingdom
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University of Zurich · ETH Zurich
Affiliation as printed
Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Switzerland
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Washington State University · Georgetown University
Affiliation as printed
Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
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Affiliation as printed
University College London, United Kingdom
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid · Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, ISCIII, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Affiliation as printed
Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil; National Center for Innovation and Research in Mental Health (CISM), São Paulo, Brazil
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Affiliation as printed
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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University of Michigan · Freie Universität Berlin
Affiliation as printed
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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University of Michigan · Institute for Social Research
Affiliation as printed
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
Affiliation as printed
Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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University of California, Riverside
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University of California Riverside, California
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Université Paris-Saclay · Inserm · Trajectoires développementales & psychiatrie · Centre Borelli
Affiliation as printed
INSERM U1299, Developmental Trajectories & Psychiatry, ENS Paris-Saclay, University Paris-Saclay, Borelli Center UMR9010, Gif sur Yvette, France; EPS Barthélémy Durand Hospital, Etampes, France
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University Hospital Frankfurt · Goethe University Frankfurt
Affiliation as printed
University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Psychology School, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
Affiliation as printed
Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen
Affiliation as printed
Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen, Germany; Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-10: Transnational Neuroscience), Research Centre Jülich, Germany
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Technische Universität Dresden
Affiliation as printed
TUD Dresden University of Technology, German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), partner site Leipzig/Dresden, Germany
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · Hunan Normal University
Affiliation as printed
Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China; School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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Indiana University Bloomington
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Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Affiliation as printed
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
Affiliation as printed
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen · Accare
Affiliation as printed
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands; Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Middlesex University London, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
School of Medicine, Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, University College Dublin, Ireland
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University Hospital Frankfurt · Goethe University Frankfurt
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University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Radboud University Medical Center · Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
Affiliation as printed
Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen · Accare
Affiliation as printed
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands; Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Columbia University, New York, New York
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Affiliation as printed
Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom
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Hospital Clínic de Barcelona · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red · Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica
Affiliation as printed
Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en RED, CIBER, Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Fundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
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University of Basel · Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel
Affiliation as printed
University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Ghent University, Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Universitat de Barcelona · Hospital Clínic de Barcelona · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red · Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica
Affiliation as printed
Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Fundació Clínic per la Recerca Biomèdica-IDIBAPS, Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en RED, CIBERSAM, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Spain
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Catholic University of America
Affiliation as printed
The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
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Affiliation as printed
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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Radboud University Medical Center · Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Karakter Child and Adolescent University Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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University of Zurich · Heidelberg University · Central Institute of Mental Health
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Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
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Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
LUMC Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
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University of Copenhagen · Copenhagen University Hospital · Mental Health Services
Affiliation as printed
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Copenhagen University Hospital-Mental Health Services CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark; University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Technische Universität Dresden · University Hospital Frankfurt · Goethe University Frankfurt
Affiliation as printed
University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; TUD Dresden University of Technology, German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), partner site Leipzig/Dresden, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
Affiliation as printed
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Heidelberg University · Central Institute of Mental Health · Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit
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Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Germany
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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
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Universidad Autónoma de Madrid · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Hospital Universitario La Paz
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Hospital Universitario La Paz, IdiPAZ, School of Medicine, Universidad Autonóma de Madrid, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain
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University of Southern California
Affiliation as printed
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
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University of Southern California
Affiliation as printed
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
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University of Southern California
Affiliation as printed
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
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University of Southern California
Affiliation as printed
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
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University of Southern California
Affiliation as printed
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Erasmus MC · Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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National Institutes of Health · National Institute of Mental Health
Affiliation as printed
National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP), Bethesda, Maryland
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Birmingham Centre for Neurogenetics, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Centre for Developmental Science, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Affiliation as printed
University of Bath, United Kingdom
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