Making Connections: Neurodevelopmental Changes in Brain Connectivity after Adverse Experiences in Early Adolescence

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to detrimental mental health outcomes in adulthood. This study investigates a potential neurodevelopmental pathway between adversity and mental health outcomes: brain connectivity.This study used data from the prospective, longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (ABCD, N ≈ 12.000, participants aged 9-13, male and female) and assessed structural brain connectivity using fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts. The adverse experiences modelled included family conflict and traumatic experiences. K-Means clustering, and Latent Basis Growth Models (LBGM), were used to determine subgroups based on total levels and trajectories of brain connectivity. Multinomial regression was used to determine associations between cluster membership and adverse experiences.Results showed that higher family conflict was associated with higher FA levels across brain tracts (e.g.,t(3) = -3.81,β= -0.09,pbonf= .003) and within the corpus callosum (CC), Fornix and anterior thalamic radiations (ATR). A decreasing FA trajectory across two brain imaging timepoints was linked to lower socioeconomic status and neighbourhood safety. Socioeconomic status was related to FA across brain tracts (e.g.,t(3) = 3.44,β= 0.10,pbonf= .01), the CC and the ATR. Neighbourhood safety was associated with FA in the Fornix and ATR (e.g.,t(1) = 3.48,β= 0.09,pbonf= .01).There is a complex and multifaceted relationship between adverse experiences and brain development, where adverse experiences during early adolescence are related to brain connectivity. These findings underscore the importance of studying adverse experiences beyond early childhood to understand lifespan developmental outcomes.Significance statementThere is a compelling link between youth adversity and various detrimental outcomes, including reduced mental health, socioeconomic status, and even life expectancy. One potential pathway for the lifelong consequences of adversity could be neurodevelopment in adolescence, but few studies have tested this directly. This study investigates a potential neurodevelopmental pathway between adversity and mental health outcomes: brain connectivity. We explored the relationship between adverse experiences during early adolescence (ages 9-13) and individual differences in neurodevelopmental trajectories. Our results provide novel evidence demonstrating that adverse experiences during adolescence are related to changes in brain connectivity. They highlight the need to consider environmental influences on development during adolescence, a unique period of protracted biological, social, and cognitive changes.