Longitudinal Associations Between Family Aggression, Externalizing Behavior, and the Structure and Function of the Amygdala

Abstract

Using longitudinal data from 21 adolescents, we assessed family aggression (via mother, father, and youth report) in early adolescence, externalizing behavior in mid-adolescence, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in late adolescence. Amygdalae were manually traced, and used as seed regions for resting state analyses. Both family aggression and subsequent externalizing behavior predicted larger right amygdala volumes and stronger amygdala-frontolimbic/ salience network connectivity and weaker amygdala-posterior cingulate connectivity. Externalizing behavior in midadolescence mediated associations between family aggression in early adolescence and resting state connectivity between the amygdala and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex in late adolescence. Family adversity and adolescent behavior problems may share common neural correlates.

Adolescent Brain Development: Implications for Understanding Risk and Resilience Processes Through Neuroimaging Research

“…Notably, neural synchrony among mothers and adolescents was associated with less stress in youth. Saxbe et al (2018) examined family aggression and adversity. Using longitudinal data, they found that family aggression and externalizing behavior were predicted by differences in amygdala volumes and amygdala connectedness.…”

Broadening the Impact of Developmental Neuroscience on the Study of Adolescence

“…Saxbe et al. () and K. H. Lee, Oppenheimer, et al. () describe how structural and functional brain development may be implicated in the links between hostile family and peer environments with internalizing and externalizing symptomatology.…”

“…The articles in this special section nicely exemplify the strengths of applying neuroscience to psychopathology, as adolescence is a period at which many of these problems manifest themselves. All of the articles focus on patterns of functional activation associated with potential emotional and behavioral difficulties, including externalizing and conduct disorder behaviors (Brieant et al, 2018;Saxbe et al, 2018;Schriber et al, 2018;Trucco, Cope, Burmeister, Zucker, & Heitzeg, 2018), risky decision making (Hansen, Thayer, Feldstein-Ewing, Sabbineni, & Bryan, 2018;Rodrigo, Padr on, de Vega, & Ferstl, 2018), stress responsivity (T.-H. Lee, Qu, & Telzer, 2018), and depression symptomatology (K. H. Lee, Oppenheimer, et al, 2018). Recent calls have been made to build upon these insights and expand the field's scope to understanding normative processes, puberty, and the unique opportunities for positive development afforded by brain development during adolescence (Crone & Dahl, 2012;Pfeifer & Blakemore, 2012).…”

“…But even this association can depend upon the family environment, offering a rare developmental neuroscience study that examines the interaction between two social environments. Saxbe et al (2018) and K. H. Lee, Oppenheimer, et al (2018) describe how structural and functional brain development may be implicated in the links between hostile family and peer environments with internalizing and externalizing symptomatology.…”

“…How does social experience predict actual brain changes over time, and vice versa? Although none of the articles in the special section included repeated measurements of neural development, several reported the results of neuroimaging protocols embedded within longitudinal studies of psychological and behavioral development (Brieant et al, 2018;Saxbe et al, 2018;Schriber et al, 2018;Trucco et al, 2018). Such practice represents an important step in the creation of a longitudinal body of knowledge about brain development, as well as providing exemplars of integrating neuroscience with broader studies of behavioral development and the social environment.…”