Decomposing complex links between the childhood environment and brain structure in school-aged youth

Abstract

Childhood experiences play a profound role in conferring risk and resilience for brain and behavioral development. However, how different facets of the environment shape neurodevelopment remains largely unknown. Here we sought to decompose heterogeneous relationships between environmental factors and brain structure in 989 school-aged children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. We applied a cross-modal integration and clustering approach called 'Similarity Network Fusion', which combined two brain morphometrics (i.e., cortical thickness and myelin-surrogate markers), and key environmental factors (i.e., trauma exposure, neighborhood safety, school environment, and family environment) to identify homogeneous subtypes. Depending on the subtyping resolution, results identified two or five subgroups, each characterized by distinct brain structure-environment profiles. Notably, more supportive caregiving and school environments were associated with increased myelination, whereas less supportive caregiving, higher family conflict and psychopathology, and higher perceived neighborhood safety were observed with increased cortical thickness. These subtypes were highly reproducible and predicted externalizing symptoms and overall mental health problems. Our findings support the theory that distinct environmental exposures differentially influence neurodevelopment. Delineating more precise associations between risk factors, protective factors, and brain development may inform approaches to enhance risk identification and optimize interventions targeting specific experiences.

Neural impact of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage in traumatically injured adults

“…The mechanisms by which the environment impacts the brain and concurrent behavior have not been fully elucidated ( Harnett, 2020 ; Hong, 2021 ; Lenroot and Giedd, 2008 ). Residents of disadvantaged communities may be exposed to adverse factors, such as environmental toxins, known to have a detrimental neural impact ( de Prado Bert et al, 2018 ; Marshall et al, 2020 ; Pujol et al, 2016 ).…”

Responsible Use of Open-Access Developmental Data: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

“…Youths live in multiple social contexts (e.g., family, neighborhood, region) and hold multiple identities (e.g., racial, cultural, gender). Therefore, studies that focus on single environmental factors (e.g., median neighborhood income) fail to capture the considerable heterogeneity in youths’ experiences and environments (Cohodes et al, 2021; Finkelhor et al, 2007) and their contributions to development (Foulkes & Blakemore, 2018; Hong et al, 2021). Large, publicly accessible data sets such as the ABCD Study include a wealth of assessments capturing different aspects of youths’ experiences (e.g., culture and environments) that may relate to developmental outcomes (Barch et al, 2018; Hoffman et al, 2019; Zucker et al, 2018).…”