ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5622-9547
Current Organisations
Deakin University
,
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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Central Nervous System | Endocrinology | Psychology | Developmental Psychology and Ageing
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 07-05-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYCHRES.2015.04.036
Abstract: Erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels from in iduals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis (n = 80) were compared to existing data from healthy controls (n = 142). Results demonstrated PUFA deficits (α-linolenic acid, eicosapentanoic acid, all ω-6 PUFAs) for the UHR group. Findings provide a rationale for PUFA based interventions in emerging psychosis.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.PSCYCHRESNS.2018.12.012
Abstract: Prior research indicates that socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with prefrontal cortical (PFC) development in childhood and adolescence, however the mechanisms of this link are unclear. This study investigated whether DNA methylation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, which plays a key role in synaptic plasticity), mediated the association between neighborhood disadvantage and thickness of the PFC in adolescents. Neighborhood disadvantage was measured in 33 adolescents aged 12-13 years using the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas. Buccal swabs, collected during mid-adolescence (aged 16-18 years), enabled BDNF DNA methylation of the widely studied exon IV promoter region to be measured. Cortical thickness was assessed during late-adolescence (aged 18-20 years) via T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A significant negative association between disadvantage and BDNF DNA methylation at a specific site of the exon IV promoter was identified. Lower levels of methylation were also significantly associated with greater thickness of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), and right medial OFC. Lower levels of DNA methylation at this site also mediated associations between higher disadvantage and thinner bilateral lOFC thickness. These novel findings give insight into a potential biological mechanism that could further our understanding as to why brain development is affected by varying environmental exposures.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 02-06-2023
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723001472
Abstract: Undergoing puberty ahead of peers (‘earlier pubertal timing’) is an important risk factor for mental health problems during early adolescence. The current study examined pathways between pubertal timing and mental health via connectivity of neural systems implicated in emotional reactivity and regulation (specifically corticolimbic connections) in 9- to 14-year-olds. Research questions were examined in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a large population representative s le in the United States. Linear mixed models examined associations between pubertal timing and resting-state corticolimbic connectivity. Significant connections were examined as potential mediators of the relationship between pubertal timing and mental health (withdrawn depressed and rule-breaking) problems. Exploratory analyses interrogated whether the family environment moderated neural risk patterns in those undergoing puberty earlier than their peers. Earlier pubertal timing was related to decreased connectivity between limbic structures (bilateral amygdala and right hippoc us) and the cingulo-opercular network, left amygdala and somatomotor (mouth) network, as well as between the left hippoc us and ventral attention network and visual network. Corticolimbic connections also mediated the relationship between earlier pubertal timing and increased withdrawn depressed problems (but not rule-breaking problems). Finally, parental acceptance buffered against connectivity patterns that were implicated in withdrawn depressed problems in those undergoing puberty earlier than their peers. Findings highlight the role of decreased corticolimbic connectivity in mediating pathways between earlier pubertal timing and withdrawn depressed problems, and we present preliminary evidence that the family environment may buffer against these neural risk patterns during early adolescence.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2013.06.007
Abstract: The hippoc us and amygdala have received much attention with regard to the deleterious effects of childhood maltreatment. However, it is not known if and when these effects emerge during adolescence and whether comorbid psychopathology is more likely to explain these effects. This study investigated whether childhood maltreatment was associated with hippoc al and amygdala development from early to midadolescence and whether the experience of psychopathology during this period mediated the relation. One hundred seventeen (60 male) adolescents, recruited as part of a broader adolescent development study, participated in magnetic resonance imaging assessments during early and midadolescence (mean age at baseline 12.62 years, SD 0.44 years mean follow-up period 3.78 years, SD 0.20 years), and completed self-report measurements of childhood maltreatment and diagnostic interviews assessing DSM-IV mental disorders. Childhood maltreatment was associated with larger baseline left hippoc al volumes and retarded growth of the left amygdala over time and was indirectly associated, through the experience of psychopathology, with retarded growth of the left hippoc us and accelerated growth of the left amygdala over time. Exploratory cortical analysis showed that maltreatment influenced thickening of the superior parietal region through the experience of psychopathology. Childhood maltreatment was associated with altered brain development during adolescence. The experience of Axis I psychopathology during adolescence may be one mechanism by which childhood maltreatment has continuing effects on brain development during the adolescent years. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention for in iduals who have experienced childhood maltreatment.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2019.04.006
Abstract: Investigation of neurobiological differences between internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children is needed to better understand the unique pathophysiology of each, which may ultimately better target treatments and interventions. Longitudinal studies are critical, given the marked brain development that occurs in childhood however, few such studies exist, and results are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate associations between internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and cortical thinning during late childhood. Participants were 105 children (49 male) from the community, who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, and completed questionnaire measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms at two time points (mean age: 8.4 years at baseline, 10.0 years at follow-up) and, mothers, who reported on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms at both time points. Whole-brain vertex-wise regression analyses were performed to assess associations between change in cortical thickness and symptoms between baseline and follow-up. Increases in internalizing symptoms over time were associated with reduced thinning in the orbitofrontal cortex, whereas increases in externalizing symptoms were associated with reduced thinning in the postcentral gyrus. The interaction between internalizing and externalizing symptom change was not associated with cortical thinning. Results suggest that the development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms are associated with unique neurodevelopmental patterns in late childhood, potentially implicating differential deficits in affective reactivity, emotion regulation, and social cognition. Further research is required to elucidate the implications of these patterns for ongoing brain development, psychopathology, and behavior.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-09-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JORA.12803
Abstract: Self‐disclosure is a crucial part of developing close interpersonal relationships during adolescence. In particular, sharing information with a greater depth of intimacy is thought to strengthen social bonds and thus support mental health. The current study investigated the value for different depths of self‐disclosures to close others (mothers and best friends) during adolescence and its association with mental health and well‐being. Fifty‐four girls (11.0–15.9 years) completed a forced‐choice monetary paradigm to assess value for self‐disclosures and questionnaires on mental health. Participants significantly valued (i.e., forfeited monetary reward) for disclosures to both mothers and best friends, although intimate disclosures were more “costly” than superficial disclosures. Greater value for intimate self‐disclosures to mothers was also associated with better mental health and well‐being.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-03-2014
DOI: 10.1093/SCAN/NST183
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROIMAGE.2019.05.013
Abstract: High levels of negative, and low levels of positive parenting behaviors can increase the risk of internalizing symptoms in children, but the mechanisms underlying this association are still unclear. One possibility is that parenting behaviors affect the neural correlates of emotion processing in children. Further, genetic variants relevant to the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are thought to moderate the effect of early experiences on the brain circuits underlying emotion processing, particularly those involving the amygdala. However, no studies have investigated the interactive effect of parenting behaviors and HPA axis-related genes on amygdala activity and connectivity during emotion processing, and in turn internalizing symptoms in children. Participants comprised 80 children (46 females, mean age = 10.0 years) from the community. Observational measures of maternal behavior were collected during mother-child interactions. Children underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an implicit emotion-processing task, and mothers and children completed measures of child internalizing symptoms. Genetic risk was calculated using an HPA genetic risk score. HPA genetic risk score was indirectly associated with greater child self-reported depressive symptoms via increased amygdala-precuneus connectivity during the emotion-processing task, and interacted with negative maternal parenting behavior to predict increased connectivity between amygdala and superior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and parietal cortex. HPA-related genetic variation appears to moderate the effect of negative maternal parenting behavior on the neural underpinnings of emotion processing in children, and may confer risk for depressive symptoms via modulation of amygdala connectivity.
Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1176/APPI.AJP.2013.13070920
Abstract: The authors sought to investigate whether the structural development of limbic, striatal, and prefrontal regions that are critically implicated in the pathophysiology of depression is associated with adolescent-onset depression. In a longitudinal design, a risk enriched community s le of 86 adolescents (41 of them female) who had no history of depressive disorders participated in neuroimaging assessments conducted during early (age 12) and midadolescence (age 16). Onset of depressive disorders was assessed for the period spanning early to late adolescence (ages 12 to 18). Thirty participants experienced a first episode of a depressive disorder during the follow-up period. The authors assessed whether onset of depressive disorder was associated with structural change in limbic, striatal, and prefrontal cortical regions from early to mid-adolescence. Volumetric change in the hippoc us, amygdala, and putamen from early to mid-adolescence was associated with the onset of depression during adolescence. Attenuated growth of the hippoc us and attenuated reduction in putamen volume over time were associated with the onset of depression. Sex moderated the association between amygdala growth and depression such that exaggerated growth and attenuated growth of the amygdala were associated with depression in females and males, respectively. Across time, smaller nucleus accumbens volume was associated with depression in females only. These findings suggest that alterations in the developmental trajectories of limbic and striatal regions during adolescence may represent a neurobiological manifestation of a risk factor for the development of depression during this critical period and thus may provide clues as to etiological mechanisms of this disorder.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-11-2011
DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2010.509714
Abstract: In iduals with hemiplegia have difficulty planning movements, which may stem from deficits in motor imagery ability. We explored motor imagery ability in three groups of 21 children, aged 8-12 years: children with hemiplegia children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and a comparison group. They completed two tasks requiring laterality judgments of body parts--hand and whole-body rotation. Accuracy in both was reduced for the motor-impaired groups, and response time was atypical for the whole-body task. This suggests that motor imagery deficits exist in children with hemiplegia and DCD, supporting previous findings that planning deficits in hemiplegia may result from deficits in motor imagery.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BPSC.2022.01.001
Abstract: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood neurodevelopmental disorder. Given the profound brain changes that occur across childhood and adolescence, it is important to identify functional networks that exhibit differential developmental patterns in children with ADHD. This study sought to examine whether children with ADHD exhibit differential developmental trajectories in functional connectivity, compared to typically developing controls using a network-based approach. 175 in iduals (91 children with ADHD and 84 non-ADHD controls) participated in a longitudinal neuroimaging study with up to three waves (173 total resting state scans children with ADHD and 197 in controls) between the ages 9 and 14. We adopted Network-Based Statistics to identify connected components with trajectories of development that differed between groups. In iduals with ADHD exhibited differential developmental trajectories compared to typically developing controls in cortico-limbic and visual-higher order cognitive networks. A pattern of reduction in functional connectivity between cortico-limbic networks was seen across development in controls that was not present in the ADHD group. Conversely, the ADHD group showed a significant decrease in connectivity between predominantly visual and higher order cognitive networks, that were not displayed in the control group. Our findings show that the developmental trajectories in ADHD children are characterized by a subnetwork involving different trajectories predominantly between cortico-limbic and visual-higher order cognitive network connections. These findings highlight the importance of examining the longitudinal maturational course to understand the development of functional connectivity networks in children with ADHD.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2022.09.006
Abstract: Sustained attention is a cognitive function with known links to academic success and mental health disorders such as attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Several functional networks are critical to sustained attention, however the association between white matter maturation in tracts linking functional nodes and sustained attention in typical and atypical development is unknown. 309 diffusion-weighted imaging scans were acquired from 161 children and adolescents (80 ADHD, 81 control) at up to three timepoints over ages 9-14. A fixel-based analysis approach was used to calculate mean fiber density and fiber-bundle cross section in tracts of interest. Sustained attention was measured using omission errors and response time variability on the out-of-scanner sustained attention to response task. Linear mixed effects models examined associations of age, group and white matter metrics with sustained attention. Greater fiber density in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) I and right SLF II was associated with fewer attention errors in the control group only. In ADHD and control groups, greater fiber density in the left ILF and right thalamo-premotor pathway, as well as greater fiber cross-section in the left SLF I and II and right SLF III, was associated with better sustained attention. Relationships were consistent across the age span. Results suggest that greater axon diameter or number in the dorsal and middle SLF may facilitate sustained attention in neurotypical children but does not assist those with ADHD potentially due to disorder-related alterations in this region. Greater capacity for information transfer across the SLF was associated with attention maintenance in 9-14-year-olds regardless of diagnostic status, suggesting white matter macrostructure may also be important for attention maintenance. White matter and sustained attention associations were consistent across the longitudinal study, according with the stability of structural organization over this time. Future studies can investigate modifiability of white matter properties through ADHD medications.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-10-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.05.326835
Abstract: Human cognitive development is manifold, with different functions developing at different speeds at different ages. Attention is an important domain of this cognitive development, and involves distinct developmental trajectories in separate functions, including conflict processing, selection of sensory input and alertness. In children, several studies using the Attention Network Test (ANT) have investigated the development of three attentional networks that carry out the functions of executive control, orienting and alerting. There is, however, a lack of studies on the development of these attentional components across adolescence, limiting our understanding of their protracted development. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed a mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal study using mixed methods to examine the development of the attentional components and their intrain idual variability from late childhood to young adulthood (n = 287, n observations = 408, age range = 8.5–26.7 years, mean follow up interval = 4.4 years). The results indicated that executive control stabilized during late adolescence, while orienting and alerting continued to develop into young adulthood. In addition, a continuous development into young adulthood was observed for the intrain idual variability measures of orienting and alerting. In a subs le with available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data (n =169, n observations = 281), higher alerting scores were associated with thicker cortices within a right prefrontal cortical region and greater age-related cortical thinning in left rolandic operculum, while higher orienting scores were associated with greater age-related cortical thinning in frontal and parietal regions. Finally, increased consistency of orienting performance was associated with thinner cortex in prefrontal regions and reduced age-related thinning in frontal regions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-03-2022
DOI: 10.3758/S13415-022-00993-2
Abstract: Empathy refers to the understanding and sharing of others’ emotions and comprises cognitive and affective components. Empathy is important for social functioning, and alterations in empathy have been demonstrated in many developmental or psychiatric disorders. While several studies have examined associations between empathy and brain structure in adults, few have investigated this relationship in children. Investigating associations between empathy and brain structure during childhood will help us to develop a deeper understanding of the neural correlates of empathy across the lifespan. A total of 125 children (66 females, mean age 10 years) underwent magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Grey matter volume and cortical thickness from structural images were examined using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) within Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM12) software. Children completed questionnaire measures of empathy (cognitive empathy, affective empathy: affective sharing, empathic concern, and empathic distress). In hypothesised region of interest analyses, in idual differences in affective and cognitive empathy were related to grey matter volume in the insula and the precuneus. Although these relationships were of similar strength to those found in previous research, they did not survive correction for the total number of models computed. While no significant findings were detected between grey matter volume and empathy in exploratory whole-brain analysis, associations were found between cortical thickness and empathic concern in the right precentral gyrus. This study provides preliminary evidence that in idual differences in self-reported empathy in children may be related to aspects of brain structure. Findings highlight the need for more research investigating the neurobiological correlates of empathy in children.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-08-2016
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BPSC.2022.02.001
Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that parenting behaviors may affect child mental health via altering brain development. There is a scarcity of research, however, that has investigated associations between parenting behavior and brain structure using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging. This study aimed to investigate associations between parenting behaviors and structural brain development across the transition from childhood to adolescence. Participants were 246 children who provided 436 magnetic resonance imaging datasets covering the age range from 8 to 13 years. Parents (94% mothers) completed self-report measures of parenting behavior, and both children and parents reported on child mental health. Factor analysis was used to identify dimensions of parental behavior. Linear mixed-effects models investigated associations between parenting behaviors and age-related change in cortical thickness and surface area and subcortical volume. Mediation models tested whether brain changes mediated associations between parenting behaviors and changes in internalizing/externalizing symptoms. Hypothesized associations between parenting and amygdala, hippoc al, and frontal trajectories were not supported. Rather, higher levels of parent harsh/inconsistent discipline were associated with decreases in surface area in medial parietal and temporal pole regions and reduced cortical thinning in medial parietal regions. Some effects were present in female but not male children. There were no associations between these neurodevelopmental alterations and symptoms. This study provides insight into the links between parenting behavior and child neurodevelopment. Given the functions of implicated regions, findings may suggest that parental harsh/inconsistent discipline affects the development of neural circuits subserving sensorimotor and social functioning in children.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUROIMAGE.2019.116256
Abstract: Pituitary gland volume (PGV) increases during childhood and adolescence in a sex-specific manner, and previous research suggests that puberty may be associated with PGV development. However, existing research to date has focused on sex hormones associated with gonadarche. Given the role of the pituitary gland in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, the present study investigated associations between PGV development and HPA hormones that play a role in the earlier pubertal phase of adrenarche. Participants were a community s le of 249 children and early adolescents who participated in longitudinal brain imaging and pubertal assessments. Each participant provided data at one or two waves 1.5-3 years apart, resulting in 409 datasets that covered the age range 8-13 years. PGV was estimated from T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), its sulfate (DHEA-S) and testosterone were measured from saliva. Estradiol was measured for a subset of females. Parents reported on physical pubertal development. Linear mixed modeling was used to investigate associations between age, pubertal measures and PGV development. DHEA, DHEA-S and testosterone (in addition to physical maturation) explained variance in PGV development over and above age, and in a sex-dependent fashion. In all cases, associations were stronger, or only present in females. Estradiol was associated with PGV in females, but this did not appear to account for adrenarcheal hormone effects. Our findings suggest a key role for the hormones of adrenarche, the first biochemical phase of puberty, in PGV development. Further research is required to understand the sex-specific role of adrenarcheal and gonadarcheal hormones on the PGV across development.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 29-01-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-03-2016
DOI: 10.1002/HBM.23154
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-05-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-88918-W
Abstract: Structural covariance conceptualizes how morphologic properties of brain regions are related to one another (across in iduals). It can provide unique information to cortical structure (e.g., thickness) about the development of functionally meaningful networks. The current study investigated how structural covariance networks develop during the transition from childhood to adolescence, a period characterized by marked structural re-organization. Participants (N = 192 scans = 366) completed MRI assessments between 8.5 and 14.5 years of age. A sliding window approach was used to create “age-bins”, and structural covariance networks (based on cortical thickness) were created for each bin. Next, generalized additive models were used to characterize trajectories of age-related changes in network properties. Results revealed nonlinear trajectories with “peaks” in mean correlation and global density that are suggestive of a period of convergence in anatomical properties across the cortex during early adolescence, prior to regional specialization. “Hub” regions in sensorimotor cortices were present by late childhood, but the extent and strength of association cortices as “hubs” increased into mid-adolescence. Moreover, these regional changes were found to be related to rates of thinning across the cortex. In the context of neurocognitive networks, the frontoparietal, default mode, and attention systems exhibited age-related increases in within-network and between-network covariance. These regional and modular developmental patterns are consistent with continued refinement of socioemotional and other complex executive functions that are supported by higher-order cognitive networks during early adolescence.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 04-02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-06-2016
DOI: 10.1038/TP.2016.111
Abstract: Multiple cross-sectional imaging studies have identified structural abnormalities in prefrontal, temporal and limbic regions related to conduct problems (CPs). However, the relationship between development of such neurobiological deficits and developmental pathways of CPs has remained unclear. The current study investigated distinct trajectories of CP and related trajectories of cortical thickness within a community-based s le of adolescents ( n =239), age range 12–19, to address this gap. Three trajectory classes were revealed using latent class growth analyses (LCGAs), comprising a ‘desisting’ CP group, an ‘intermediate’ CP group and a ‘stable low’ CP group. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were collected with a subgroup of 171 adolescents at three waves throughout adolescence (ages 12, 16 and 19). Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis—comparing longitudinal changes in cortical thickness and subcortical volume between CP groups for several regions of interest (ROIs)—showed that these CP groups had differential trajectories of cortical thickness in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dl-PFC), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and volume of the hippoc us. Adolescents in the desisting CP group showed an attenuation of the typical pattern of cortical thinning as present in the intermediate and stable low CP groups, in addition to an exaggeration of the typical pattern of hippoc al volume increase. These findings suggest that a deviant cortical thickness trajectory was related to a desisting CP pathway across adolescence. Such deviant neurodevelopmental growth trajectories may act as an underlying mechanism for developmental CP pathways, and possibly distinguish desisting antisocial adolescents.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-09-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-06-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2017
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 19-12-2019
Abstract: Objective: Investigate neurodevelopmental trajectories related to attention/hyperactivity problems (AP) in a community s le of adolescents and whether these trajectories predict later-emerging health risk behaviors. Method: One hundred sixty-six participants underwent up to three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans ( n = 367) between 11 and 20 years of age. AP were measured during early adolescence using the Child Behaviour Checklist, and engagement in risk behaviors was measured during late adolescence using the “DRIVE” survey (i.e., driving risks) and items assessing alcohol-harms. Results: Greater AP scores during early adolescence were related to less reduction over time of left dorsal prefrontal, left ventrolateral prefrontal, and right orbitofrontal thickness. Less thinning of the orbitofrontal cortex was related to greater driving-related risk behaviors at late adolescence. Conclusion: Findings highlight altered neurodevelopmental trajectories in adolescents with AP. Furthermore, altered orbitofrontal development was related to later-emerging driving-related risk, and this neurobiological change mediated the association between attention problems and risk behaviors.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-06-2013
DOI: 10.1111/DESC.12057
Abstract: Early to mid-adolescence is an important developmental period for subcortical brain maturation, but longitudinal studies of these neurodevelopmental changes are lacking. The present study acquired repeated magnetic resonance images from 60 adolescent subjects (28 female) at ages 12.5 and 16.5 years to map changes in subcortical structure volumes. Automated segmentation techniques optimized for longitudinal measurement were used to delineate volumes of the caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, pallidum, hippoc us, thalamus and the whole brain. Amygdala volumes were described using manual tracing methods. The results revealed heterogeneous maturation across the regions of interest (ROIs), and change was differentially moderated by sex and hemisphere. The caudate, thalamus and putamen declined in volume, more for females relative to males, and decreases in the putamen and thalamus were greater in the left hemisphere. The pallidum increased in size, but more so in the left hemisphere. While the left nucleus accumbens increased in size, the right accumbens decreased in size over the follow-up period. Increases in hippoc al volume were greater in the right hemisphere. While amygdala volume did not change over time, the left hemisphere was consistently larger than the right. These results suggest that subcortical brain development from early to middle adolescence is characterized by striking hemispheric specialization and sexual dimorphisms, and provide a framework for interpreting normal and abnormal changes in cognition, affect and behavior. Moreover, the differences in findings compared to previous cross-sectional research emphasize the importance of within-subject assessment of brain development during adolescence.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2019.01.018
Abstract: The importance of parenting in influencing mental health outcomes, particularly depression, during childhood and adolescence is well known. However, the mechanisms are unclear. Emotion processing impairments in children are believed to be influenced by negative parenting behaviors and fundamental to depression. As such, investigating the association between parenting behavior and the neural underpinnings of emotion processing in children could provide fundamental clues as to the link between parenting and depression. Eighty-six children (49 girls, mean age 10.1 years), as part of a longitudinal study, participated. Observational measures of maternal behavior were collected during 2 mother-child interactions. Children underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an implicit emotion-processing task, and measures of child internalizing symptoms were collected. Maternal negative behavior exhibited during an event-planning interaction was associated with decreased activation in the lingual gyrus in girls, whereas maternal negative behavior during a problem-solving interaction was associated with increased amygdala activation in the entire s le during processing of angry and fearful faces. Maternal communicative behavior during the 2 mother-child interactions was associated with increased activity in the bilateral middle orbitofrontal cortex in the entire s le. Negative behavior during the problem-solving interaction was associated with connectivity between the amygdala and superior parietal lobe. Brain activity/connectivity was not related to internalizing symptoms. Results suggest that, in children, maternal behavior could be associated with activity in brain regions involved in emotion processing. However, more research is needed to elucidate the link among parenting, emotion processing, and depressive symptoms in young people.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2018.05.016
Abstract: Parenting and pubertal timing have consistently been associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence, and there is some evidence that the interaction between these factors may be important in conferring risk. However, few studies have investigated whether neurobiological factors mediate these relationships. The current study examined whether interactions between adrenarcheal timing and parenting styles were associated with affective brain function and, in turn, mental health difficulties. Participants were 88 healthy children (46 female and 42 male, mean age 9.42 years, SD = 1.08 years), with 45 classified as relatively early and 43 as relatively late in adrenarcheal development based upon adrenal hormone levels. Participants completed an affective face functional magnetic resonance imaging task, and parents reported on 5 parenting styles and on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Negative parenting styles (corporal punishment and poor monitoring) were associated with brain hemodynamic response while viewing affective faces in several subcortical and lateral prefrontal regions, and adrenarcheal timing and/or sex moderated most of these relationships. Sex differences in associations between corporal punishment and brain activation to affective faces indicated that late females might show less adaptive affective neural function when more exposed to this parenting style. Findings suggest that the interaction between parenting styles and adrenarcheal timing is associated with affective brain function in late childhood, with marked sex differences. Further longitudinal research with larger s les is needed to corroborate and expand upon these findings.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 20-02-2016
DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2014.987381
Abstract: This study examined whether development of two forms of cognitive control (proactive and reactive) between early and midadolescence was associated with the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) during the same period and if it prospectively predicted MDD onset between mid- and late adolescence. Adolescents (N = 165) completed 3 waves of assessments, at 12 (T1), 16 (T2), and 18 (T3) years of age. Diagnostic interviews were conducted at each time point to identify three groups of adolescents: "early MDD," those who developed MDD between early (T1) and mid- (T2) adolescence (n = 23) "late MDD," those who developed MDD between mid- (T2) and late (T3) adolescence (n = 20) and "controls," those who did not develop MDD (n = 122). A modified Stroop task was completed at T1 and T2 to examine development of proactive and reactive cognitive control. Adolescents with early MDD exhibited significant declines in reactive control, as well as a trend level decline for proactive control, during this period compared to controls. No significant differences in reactive or proactive control were identified in adolescents with late MDD compared to controls, but they did exhibit significant improvements in proactive control compared to those with early MDD. These findings suggest that normative maturation of reactive, and possibly proactive, cognitive control abilities are impaired in adolescents who develop MDD between early and midadolescence. This has implications for understanding the mechanisms underlying certain forms of behavioral dysregulation that are commonly seen in MDD.
Publisher: MIT Press - Journals
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.1162/JOCN_A_00549
Abstract: Maturation of cognitive control abilities has been attributed to the protracted structural maturation of underlying neural correlates during adolescence. This study examined the relationship between development of two forms of cognitive control (proactive and reactive control) and structural maturation of the ACC, dorsolateral pFC, and ventrolateral pFC (vlPFC) between early and mid adolescence using a longitudinal design. Adolescents (n = 92) underwent baseline assessments when they were 12 years old and follow-up assessments approximately 4 years later. At each assessment, structural MRI scans were acquired, and a modified Stroop task was performed. Results showed longitudinal improvements in reactive control between early and mid adolescence. Furthermore, magnitude of the improvement in proactive control was associated with reduced thinning of the right vlPFC across the s le, whereas the magnitude of the improvements in reactive control was associated with reduced thinning of the left ACC in men alone. These findings suggest that in idual differences in the maturation of ACC and vlPFC underlie the development of two distinct forms of cognitive control between early and mid adolescence as well as highlight sex differences in this relationship.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-11-2014
DOI: 10.1093/SCAN/NSS126
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOPSYCHO.2017.07.018
Abstract: Few studies have examined physiological correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation in adolescents, despite the occurrence in this group of significant developmental changes in emotional functioning. The current study employed multiple physiological measures (i.e., startle-elicited eyeblink and ERP, skin conductance, facial EMG) to assess the emotional reactivity and regulation of 113 early adolescents in response to valenced images. Reactivity was measured while participants viewed images, and regulation was measured when they were asked to discontinue or maintain their emotional reactions to the images. Adolescent participants did not exhibit fear-potentiated startle blink. However, they did display affect-consistent zygomatic and corrugator activity during reactivity, as well as inhibition of some of these facial patterns during regulation. Skin conductance demonstrated arousal dependent activity during reactivity, and overall decreases during regulation. These findings suggest that early adolescents display reactivity to valenced pictures, but not to startle probes. Psychophysiological patterns during emotion regulation indicate additional effort and/or attention during the regulation process.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-06-2022
DOI: 10.3758/S13415-022-01017-9
Abstract: The transition from childhood to adolescence involves important neural function, cognition, and behavior changes. However, the links between maturing brain function and sustained attention over this period could be better understood. This study examined typical changes in network functional connectivity over childhood to adolescence, developmental differences in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and how functional connectivity might underpin variability in sustained attention development in a longitudinal s le. A total of 398 resting state scans were collected from 173 children and adolescents (88 ADHD, 85 control) at up to three timepoints across ages 9-14 years. The effects of age, sex, and diagnostic group on changes in network functional connectivity were assessed, followed by relationships between functional connectivity and sustained attention development using linear mixed effects modelling. The ADHD group displayed greater decreases in functional connectivity between salience and visual networks compared with controls. Lower childhood functional connectivity between the frontoparietal and several brain networks was associated with more rapid sustained attention development, whereas frontoparietal to dorsal attention network connectivity related to attention trajectories in children with ADHD alone. Brain network segregation may increase into adolescence as predicted by key developmental theories however, participants with ADHD demonstrated altered developmental trajectories between salience and visual networks. The segregation of the frontoparietal network from other brain networks may be a mechanism supporting sustained attention development. Frontoparietal to dorsal attention connectivity can be a focus for further work in ADHD.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 04-02-2019
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579418001475
Abstract: It is unclear how in idual differences in parenting and brain development interact to influence adolescent mental health outcomes. This study examined interactions between structural brain development and observed maternal parenting behavior in the prediction of adolescent depressive symptoms and psychological well-being. Whether findings supported diathesis-stress or differential susceptibility frameworks was tested. Participants completed observed interactions with their mothers during early adolescence (age 13), and the frequency of positive and aggressive maternal behavior were coded. Adolescents also completed structural magnetic resonance imaging scans at three time points: mean ages 13, 17, and 19. Regression models analyzed interactions between maternal behavior and longitudinal brain development in the prediction of late adolescent (age 19) outcomes. Indices designed to distinguish between diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility effects were employed. Results supported differential susceptibility: less thinning of frontal regions was associated with higher well-being in the context of low levels of aggressive maternal behavior, and lower well-being in the context of high levels of aggressive maternal behavior. Findings suggest that reduced frontal cortical thinning during adolescence may underlie increased sensitivity to maternal aggressive behavior for better and worse and highlight the importance of investigating biological vulnerability versus susceptibility.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2022.105943
Abstract: One-third of adolescents are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder by age 16, with female adolescents twice as likely to experience an internalizing (i.e., depression or anxiety) disorder as their male peers. In idual differences in pubertal factors may partially underlie this disparity, potentially via the role of pubertal hormones in shaping brain development. While research has examined links between estradiol levels and brain structure, in idual variation in estradiol levels has not been considered. Using longitudinal data from 44 female adolescents (baseline age M = 11.7 follow-up age M= 13.3), we examined associations between both average estradiol and estradiol variability, and brain gray matter structure at baseline. We used a hypothesis-driven region of interest (ROI) approach focusing on subcortical and ventromedial prefrontal regions, in addition to an exploratory whole-brain analysis. We also investigated whether brain structure mediated the association between estradiol measures and internalizing (i.e., anxious and depressive) symptoms at follow-up. ROI analyses revealed a significant negative association between estradiol variability and thickness of the right medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, β = -0.39, FDR corrected p = .010). There were, however, no significant associations between average estradiol or estradiol variability and internalizing symptoms, nor was there evidence of mediation. Our results indicate that increased variation in estradiol levels across a month is associated with decreased cortical thickness in a brain region implicated in emotion processing, although implications for mental health are unclear. Findings, however, highlight the importance of considering in idual variation in estradiol when examining links to brain development.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2017.05.008
Abstract: Most evidence for structural brain abnormalities associated with adolescent depression is based on cross-sectional study designs that do not take into account the dynamic course of depressive symptoms and brain maturation across adolescence. In this study, a longitudinal design was used to investigate the association between different trajectories of depressive symptoms and longitudinal changes in brain structure throughout adolescence. One hundred forty-nine adolescents were assessed on depressive symptoms and underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging at 12 years of age and were followed up multiple times until 19 years. Three depressive symptom trajectories (low-stable [n = 97], early-decreasing [n = 33], late-increasing [n = 19]) were identified, and effects of group and group by time on hippoc us and amygdala volume and prefrontal cortical thickness and surface area were evaluated. The early-decreasing symptoms group exhibited differences in cortical surface area compared to the low-stable and late-increasing symptoms groups, moderated by sex. Specifically, females in the early-decreasing symptoms group showed lower anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex surface areas across adolescence compared to females in the other groups. Males in the early-decreasing symptoms group showed lower right orbitofrontal cortex surface area expansion over time compared to males in the low-stable and late-increasing symptoms groups. No effects were found for cortical thickness or for hippoc us and amygdala volume. Alterations in cortical surface area were specifically observed in young people experiencing depressive symptoms in early adolescence. These findings suggest that early adolescence is a particularly sensitive period for cortical surface area abnormalities associated with depressive symptoms and could provide a critical window for treatment of (subthreshold) depressive symptoms.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 05-2020
DOI: 10.1037/PSPA0000182
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-03-2023
DOI: 10.1002/HBM.26288
Abstract: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood neurodevelopmental disorder. Given the profound brain changes that occur during childhood and adolescence, it is important to examine longitudinal changes of both functional and structural brain connectivity across development in ADHD. This study aimed to examine the development of functional and structural connectivity in children with ADHD compared to controls using graph metrics. One hundred and seventy five in iduals (91 children with ADHD and 84 non‐ADHD controls) participated in a longitudinal neuroimaging study with up to three waves. Graph metrics were derived from 370 resting state fMRI (197 Control, 173 ADHD) and 297 diffusion weighted imaging data (152 Control, 145 ADHD) acquired between the ages of 9 and 14. For functional connectivity, children with ADHD (compared to typically developing children) showed lower degree, local efficiency and betweenness centrality predominantly in parietal, temporal and visual cortices and higher degree, local efficiency and betweenness centrality in frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices. For structural connectivity, children with ADHD had lower local efficiency in parietal and temporal cortices and, higher degree and betweenness centrality in frontal, parietal and temporal cortices. Further, differential developmental trajectories of functional and structural connectivity for graph measures were observed in higher‐order cognitive and sensory regions. Our findings show that topology of functional and structural connectomes matures differently between typically developing controls and children with ADHD during childhood and adolescence. Specifically, functional and structural neural circuits associated with sensory and various higher order cognitive functions are altered in children with ADHD.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2007.12.011
Abstract: Visuomotor adaptation to left-shifting prisms can affect performance for a variety of tasks in neurologically intact (normal) participants. This study examined whether visuomotor adaptation affects performance on the greyscales task in normal participants. Forty-two normal participants completed a greyscales task before and after adaptation to either: left-shifting prisms, right-shifting prisms or control spectacles that did not shift the visual scene. Participants demonstrated a leftward bias (i.e., selected the stimulus that was darker on the left as being darker overall) that was reversed by a short period of visuomotor adaptation to left-shifting prisms. In contrast, this bias was unaffected by adaptation to right-shifting prisms and control spectacles. The findings demonstrate that a simple visuomotor task can alter the distribution of spatial attention for the greyscales task in normal participants.
Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)
Date: 08-2017
Start Date: 07-2022
End Date: 07-2026
Amount: $378,546.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
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