Does the Relationship between Age and Brain Structure Differ in Youth with Conduct Disorder?

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sarah Koerner - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Marlene Staginnus - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Harriet Cornwell - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Areti Smaragdi - , Child Development Institute (Author)
  • Karen González-Madruga - , Middlesex University (Author)
  • Ruth Pauli - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Jack C Rogers - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Yidian Gao - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Sally Chester - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Sophie Townend - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Anka Bernhard - , Chair of Biopsychology, University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Anne Martinelli - , Fresenius University of Applied Sciences (Author)
  • Gregor Kohls - , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Aachen, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Nora Maria Raschle - , ETH Zurich, University of Zurich (Author)
  • Kerstin Konrad - , RWTH Aachen University, Jülich Research Centre (Author)
  • Christina Stadler - , University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK) (Author)
  • Christine M Freitag - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Stephane A De Brito - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Graeme Fairchild - , University of Bath (Author)

Abstract

Conduct disorder (CD) is characterised by persistent antisocial and aggressive behaviour and typically emerges in childhood or adolescence. Although several authors have proposed that CD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, very little evidence is available about brain development in this condition. Structural brain alterations have been observed in CD, and some indirect evidence for delayed brain maturation has been reported. However, no detailed analysis of age-related changes in brain structure in youth with CD has been conducted. Using cross-sectional MRI data, this study aimed to explore differences in brain maturation in youth with CD versus healthy controls to provide further understanding of the neurodevelopmental processes underlying CD. 291 CD cases (153 males) and 379 healthy controls (160 males) aged 9-18 years (Mage = 14.4) were selected from the European multisite FemNAT-CD study. Structural MRI scans were analysed using surface-based morphometry followed by application of the ENIGMA quality control protocols. An atlas-based approach was used to investigate group differences and test for group-by-age and group-by-age-by-sex interactions in cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes. Relative to healthy controls, the CD group showed lower surface area across frontal, temporal and parietal regions as well as lower total surface area. No significant group-by-age or group-by-age-by-sex interactions were observed on any brain structure measure. These findings suggest that CD is associated with lower surface area across multiple cortical regions, but do not support the idea that CD is associated with delayed brain maturation, at least within the age bracket considered here.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1135-1146
Number of pages12
JournalResearch on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Volume52
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC11217071
Scopus 85189163324

Keywords

Keywords

  • Adolescent, Age Factors, Brain/pathology, Child, Conduct Disorder/diagnostic imaging, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Cortical thickness, Brain development, Conduct disorder, Antisocial behaviour, Surface-based morphometry, Surface area