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Cortical thickness associations with adverse life events in youth with non-suicidal self-injury

Poster No:

543

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Sera Manuele¹, Mindy Westlund Schreiner²^,3, Jason Washburn⁴, Leo Chen¹^,5, Hugh Garavan⁶, Kathryn Cullen⁷, Stewart Shankman⁴, Lei Wang⁸, Lisanne Jenkins¹^,4

Institutions:

¹Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, ²Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Ohio State University, Ohio, OH, ³Behavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Columbus, United States, ⁴Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, ⁵Alfred Mental and Addiction Health, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, ⁶Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, ⁷Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, ⁸Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

First Author:

Sera Manuele, PhD
Department of Psychiatry, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria

Co-Author(s):

Mindy Westlund Schreiner, PhD
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Ohio State University|Behavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus
Ohio, OH|Columbus, United States

Jason Washburn, PhD
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, IL

Leo Chen, Psychiatrist, PhD
Department of Psychiatry, Monash University|Alfred Mental and Addiction Health, Alfred Health
Melbourne, Victoria|Melbourne, Victoria

Hugh Garavan
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine
Burlington, VT

Kathryn Cullen
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN

Stewart Shankman, PhD
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, IL

Lei Wang
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Lisanne Jenkins, PhD
Department of Psychiatry, Monash University|Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Melbourne, Victoria|Chicago, IL

Introduction:

Adverse life events (ALE) are established risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), the intentional destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent. To date, little is known of the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning NSSI, with less known for males, likely due to higher female NSSI prevalence. Research highlights the critical role that early home and school environments play in youth brain development and psychopathology, which may exacerbate or protect against NSSI risk. A better understanding of these mechanisms is needed for novel treatments and interventions for NSSI. Aims: Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study data, we identified 235 youths without NSSI history at baseline (age 10) who developed NSSI by Year 2 (age 12) and 235 controls individually matched on demographic and psychological features without NSSI. We anticipated associations between ALE and cortical thickness (CT) in regions involved in emotion learning, regulation, inhibition and reward (Ansell, 2012) and that these associations may, 1) have different relationships with home and school environments in the NSSI group versus controls, and 2) vary for males and females.

Methods:

ABCD data were preprocessed using DCAN-HCP-pipeline generating fsLR32k_thickness.dscalar.nii files, which we analyzed using HCP Workbench software. Vertex-wise CT was regressed onto youth-reported ALE from the Life Events Scale separate for males (n=180) and females (n=290), covarying pubertal stage, intracranial volume and MRI manufacturer. We averaged the CT of clusters positively and negatively associated with ALE (P<0.05 corrected) and conducted Structural Equation Models to examine whether measures of family conflict (Family Environment Scale), caregiver acceptance (Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory) and school environment (School Risk and Protective Factors) influenced these CT by ALE clusters.

Results:

In females, ALE were positively associated with CT in the right superior and inferior lateral parietal lobe and posterior cingulate, and negatively associated in the left hippocampus, presubiculum, and entorhinal, parahippocampal, and orbitofrontal cortices (OFC) (see Figure 1a). In males, positive associations with ALE were observed in the right OFC, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and V1 (see Figure 2a). Independently, family conflict was related to CT clusters negatively associated with ALE for female controls, suggesting family conflict may contribute to the association between cortical thinning and ALE in these left medial temporal regions. Interaction models found, for males and females with NSSI, caregiver acceptance moderated the effect of positive school environment on CT clusters positively associated with ALE (see Figures 1a-c and 2a-b). Further, family conflict moderated the effect of school environment on CT clusters positively associated with ALE for NSSI and control groups (with stronger effects for NSSI), and clusters negatively associated for female controls (see Figure 1a-c). Findings suggest home and school environments may contribute to ALE association with altered CT maturation, with differences for males and females likely due to pubertal influence on neurodevelopment (Herting, 2018).

·Figure 1. Regression models for females, with significant interaction plots and moderation figures

·Figure 2. Regression models for males, with significant interaction plots and moderation figures

Conclusions:

Findings align with existing research that found gray matter volume and CT associations with ALE in adolescents and our previous work showing associations between adverse family factors (i.e. SES) and subcortical shape in adolescents. Here, we demonstrate that the interplay between home and school environments has a greater impact on CT clusters associated with ALE in adolescents who develop NSSI. Results highlight the importance of adaptive rearing and school environments as potential protective factors for brain changes associated with ALE, which research often interprets as accelerated maturation. Our findings support the need for early family and school interventions in preventing NSSI risk.

Disorders of the Nervous System:

Psychiatric (eg. Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia) ¹

Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:

Reward and Punishment ²

Keywords:

Affective Disorders

Data analysis

Development

Emotions

Limbic Systems

Psychiatric

Sexual Dimorphism

STRUCTURAL MRI

Other - Adverse Life Experiences

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

Abstract Information

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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.

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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):

Patients

Was this research conducted in the United States?

Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.

Yes

Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel? NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.

Not applicable

Please indicate which methods were used in your research:

Structural MRI

Neuropsychological testing

For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?

3.0T

Which processing packages did you use for your study?

Free Surfer

Other, Please list - HCP Workbench

Provide references using APA citation style.

1. Ansell, E. B. (2012). Cumulative adversity and smaller gray matter volume in medial prefrontal, anterior cingulate, and insula regions. Biological psychiatry, 72(1), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.11.022
2. Backhausen, L. L., IMAGEN Consortium (2023). Interplay of early negative life events, development of orbitofrontal cortical thickness and depression in young adulthood. JCPP advances, 4(1), e12210. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12210
3. Bick, J. (2016). Early Adverse Experiences and the Developing Brain. Neuropsychopharmacol 41, 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2015.252
4. Herting, M. M. (2017). Puberty and structural brain development in humans. Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 44, 122–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2016.12.003
5. Jenkins, L. M. (2020). Subcortical structural variations associated with low socioeconomic status in adolescents. Human brain mapping, 41(1), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.24796
6. Kelada, L. (2018). Adolescent NSSI and Recovery: The Role of Family Functioning and Emotion Regulation. Youth & Society, 50(8), 1056-1077. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X16653153
7. Lurigio, A. J. (2023). Nonsuicidal self injury among young adults and adolescents: Historical, cultural and clinical understandings. Social Work in Mental Health, 22(1), 122–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2023.2264434
8. Victor, S. E. (2018). Characterizing gender differences in nonsuicidal self-injury: Evidence from a large clinical sample of adolescents and adults. Comprehensive psychiatry, 82, 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.01.009

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