Identifying structural brain markers of resilience to adversity in young people using voxel-based morphometry

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Harriet Cornwell - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Nicola Toschi - , University of Rome Tor Vergata (Author)
  • Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Marlene Staginnus - , University of Bath (Author)
  • Areti Smaragdi - , National Center for Child Health and Development (Author)
  • Karen Gonzalez-Madruga - , Middlesex University (Author)
  • Jack Rogers - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Anne Martinelli - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Gregor Kohls - , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Aachen (Author)
  • Nora Maria Raschle - , University of Basel (Author)
  • Kerstin Konrad - , University Hospital Aachen (Author)
  • Christina Stadler - , University of Basel (Author)
  • Christine Freitag - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Stephane De Brito - , University of Birmingham (Author)
  • Graeme Fairchild - , University of Bath (Author)

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that resilience in youth may have a neurobiological basis. However, the existing literature lacks a consistent way of operationalizing resilience, often relying on arbitrary judgments or narrow definitions (e.g., not developing PTSD) to classify individuals as resilient. Therefore, this study used data-driven, continuous resilience scores based on adversity and psychopathology to investigate associations between resilience and brain structure in youth. Structural MRI data from 298 youth aged 9-18 years (Mage = 13.51; 51% female) who participated in the European multisite FemNAT-CD study were preprocessed using SPM12 and analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. Resilience scores were derived by regressing data on adversity exposure against current/lifetime psychopathology and quantifying each individual's distance from the regression line. General linear models tested for associations between resilience and gray matter volume (GMV) and examined whether associations between resilience and GMV differed by sex. Resilience was positively correlated with GMV in the right inferior frontal and medial frontal gyri. Sex-by-resilience interactions were observed in the middle temporal and middle frontal gyri. These findings demonstrate that resilience in youth is associated with volume in brain regions implicated in executive functioning, emotion regulation, and attention. Our results also provide evidence for sex differences in the neurobiology of resilience.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2302-2314
Number of pages13
JournalDevelopment and psychopathology
Volume35
Issue number5
Early online date10 Jul 2023
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85165091093
Mendeley 32bca02d-694d-3801-8e39-becf43d911b0
ORCID /0000-0003-2408-2939/work/172086064

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Resilience, adversity, brain structure, voxel-based morphometry, youth

Library keywords