Neural connectivity biotypes: associations with internalizing problems throughout adolescence

• DOI: 10.1017/s003329172000149x
• Publication Date: 2020-05-29T08:31:04Z
• Authors: Rajpreet Chahal; David G. Weissman; Michael N. Hallquist; Richard W. Robins; Paul D. Hastings; Amanda E. Guyer
• Keywords: Adolescent; brain; Biological Psychology; 610; Clinical sciences; Clinical and health psychology; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Psychology; Humans; Pediatric; Psychiatry; internalizing; Functional Neuroimaging; functional connectivity; Neurosciences; Brain; biotypes; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; 3. Good health; Mental Health; Public Health and Health Services; Biological psychology; adolescence; Female

AbstractBackgroundNeurophysiological patterns may distinguish which youth are at risk for the well-documented increase in internalizing symptoms during adolescence. Adolescents with internalizing problems exhibit altered resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of brain regions involved in socio-affective processing. Whether connectivity-based biotypes differentiate adolescents’ levels of internalizing problems remains unknown.MethodSixty-eight adolescents (37 females) reported on their internalizing problems at ages 14, 16, and 18 years. A resting-state functional neuroimaging scan was collected at age 16. Time-series data of 15 internalizing-relevant brain regions were entered into the Subgroup-Group Iterative Multi-Model Estimation program to identify subgroups based on RSFC maps. Associations between internalizing problems and connectivity-based biotypes were tested with regression analyses.ResultsTwo connectivity-based biotypes were found: a Diffusely-connected biotype (N = 46), with long-range fronto-parietal paths, and a Hyper-connected biotype (N = 22), with paths between subcortical and medial frontal areas (e.g. affective and default-mode network regions). Higher levels of past (age 14) internalizing problems predicted a greater likelihood of belonging to the Hyper-connected biotype at age 16. The Hyper-connected biotype showed higher levels of concurrent problems (age 16) and future (age 18) internalizing problems.ConclusionsDifferential patterns of RSFC among socio-affective brain regions were predicted by earlier internalizing problems and predicted future internalizing problems in adolescence. Measuring connectivity-based biotypes in adolescence may offer insight into which youth face an elevated risk for internalizing disorders during this critical developmental period.