Abstract
Background: Previous studies have reported brain structure abnormalities in conduct disorder (CD), but it is unclear whether these neuroanatomical alterations mediate the effects of familial (genetic and environmental) risk for CD. We investigated brain structure in adolescents with CD and their unaffected relatives (URs) to identify neuroanatomical markers of familial risk for CD.
Methods: Forty-one adolescents with CD, 24 URs of CD probands, and 38 healthy controls (aged 12-18), underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging. We performed surface-based morphometry analyses, testing for group differences in cortical volume, thickness, surface area, and folding. We also assessed the volume of key subcortical structures.
Results: The CD and UR groups both displayed structural alterations (lower surface area and folding) in left inferior parietal cortex compared with controls. In contrast, CD participants showed lower insula and pars opercularis volume than controls, and lower surface area and folding in these regions than controls and URs. The URs showed greater folding in rostral anterior cingulate and inferior temporal cortex than controls and greater medial orbitofrontal folding than CD participants. The surface area and volume differences were not significant when controlling for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder comorbidity. There were no group differences in subcortical volumes.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that alterations in inferior parietal cortical structure partly mediate the effects of familial risk for CD. These structural changes merit investigation as candidate endophenotypes for CD. Neuroanatomical changes in medial orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex differentiated between URs and the other groups, potentially reflecting neural mechanisms of resilience to CD.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1721-1731 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Psychological Medicine |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 5 Oct 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Apr 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The study was funded by an Institute for Disorders of Impulse and Attention PhD studentship from the University of Southampton to Kate Sully and an Adventure in Research grant from the University of Southampton to Graeme Fairchild. Luca Passamonti was funded by the Medical Research Council (grant number MR/P01271X/1).
Funding Information:
Edmund Sonuga-Barke has received speaker fees, consultancy or research funding from Medice, Takeda, Neurotech Solutions and QBTech. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
Keywords
- Antisocial behavior
- brain structure
- conduct disorder
- endophenotype
- family-based designs
- surface-based morphometry
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Access to Document
- PSM-D-20-02183_R1.PDF
This article has been published in Psychological Medicine http://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721003202. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © 2021, The authors.