Background: Previous research from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study delineated and validated a hierarchical 5-factor structure with a general psychopathology ('p') factor at the apex and five specific factors (internalizing, somatoform, detachment, neurodevelopmental, externalizing) using parent-reported child symptoms. The current study is the first examining associations between dimensions from a hierarchical structure and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) networks.Methods: Using 9-11-year-old children from the ABCD baseline sample, we compared the variance explained by each hierarchy level (p-factor, 2-factor, 3-factor, 4-factor, and 5-factor models) in RSFC. Analyses were first conducted in a discovery dataset (n=3790) with significant associations examined in a replication dataset (n=3791).
Results:The current study found associations between p-factor and lower connectivity within default mode network (DMN), although stronger effects emerged for the neurodevelopmental factor. Neurodevelopmental impairments were related to variation in RSFC networks associated with attention to internal states and external stimuli.These networks included within DMN, DMN with cingulo-opercular (CON) and 'Other' (Unassigned) networks, CON with ventral attention and 'Other' network, and dorsal attention with 'Other' network. Results held when accounting for parental psychopathology.
Conclusion:The hierarchical structure of psychopathology showed replicable links to RSFC alterations in middle childhood. The p-factor had minimal association with altered connectivity, while the specific neurodevelopmental dimension showed robust Functional Connectivity and Dimensions of Psychopathology in Childhood 3 associations with multiple RSFC impairments. Results show the utility of examining associations between intrinsic brain architecture and specific dimensions of psychopathology, revealing associations specifically with neurodevelopmental impairments. Functional Connectivity and Dimensions of Psychopathology in Childhood 4The Research Domains Criteria (RDoC) 1,2 and Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) 3,4 are transdiagnostic initiatives that have pushed psychiatric research to move beyond traditional diagnostic categories and to examine psychiatric problems as a multidimensional structure. One advantage of this approach is that dimensional constructs may align more closely to underlying neural mechanisms than diagnoses. 2,5 The HiTOP model proposes that dimensions of psychopathology are organized hierarchically, from narrowest to broadest, with each dimension potentially providing important information in terms of functional and biological correlates. 6 , 7Several dimensions of psychopathology have been identified in children and adolescents. [8][9][10][11] In particular, a study of the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) 8 in Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) data found a hierarchical structure of psychopathology with a broad general "p-factor" at the apex, which progressively dif...