Childhood socio-economic disadvantage predicts reduced myelin growth across adolescence and young adulthood

Abstract

37Socio-economic disadvantage (SED) increases exposure to life stressors. Animal research suggests 38 early life stressors affect later neurodevelopment, including myelin developmental growth. To 39 determine whether human childhood SED affects myelination in adolescence and early adulthood we 40 measured the developmental increase of a sensitive myelin marker, magnetization transfer (MT), in a 41 longitudinal study. Childhood SED was associated with globally reduced MT, as well as slower intra-42 cortical MT increase in widespread sensory-motor, cingulate, insular and prefrontal areas and 43 subcortical areas. Parental education partially accounted for the SED effects on MT increase, while 44 positive parenting provided a partial protection against the impact of SED. Thus, early socio-economic 45 disadvantage, a vulnerability factor for a range of ill-health outcomes, is a risk factor for aberrant 46 myelin growth during a critical developmental period that is associated with a high risk of psychiatric 47 disorder. 48 49 Keywords 50 Myelin, magnetization transfer, development, quantitative imaging, socio-economic disadvantage, 51 adolescence, young adulthood, parenting, parental education, longitudinal 52 53 54

Compulsivity is linked to reduced adolescent development of goal-directed control and frontostriatal functional connectivity

“…To investigate the maturational trajectory of model-based control, we used these estimates of model-based control, computed separately at each assessment, as dependent variables in a linear mixed-effects (LME) model. This model was informed by analysis recommendations ( 36 ) successfully adopted in recent studies ( 37 , 38 ) ( Materials and Methods and SI Appendix ). This tested jointly how model-based control varies with mean age of subjects (i.e., age mean, between-subject effect of age) and how it changes over time (i.e., visits/time, within-subject effect of age), as well as their interaction ( Materials and Methods and SI Appendix , Table S2 ).…”

“…To investigate developmental changes of model-based control, we used the estimated coefficients of the reward by transition interaction at each time point in the context of LME modeling. We followed analysis recommendations ( 36 ) successfully adopted in recent studies from this sample ( 37 , 38 ) (see also SI Appendix ).…”

Testing hypotheses about the harm that capitalism causes to the mind and brain: a theoretical framework for neuroscience research

“…Such anticipation is closely guided by the engrams of powerful experiences 4 . Harmful engrams are inscribed by "toxic" environments -be it family, educational setting, work, a virtual community on social media or general societal factors like gender or race (Zadow et al, 2021;Ziegler et al, 2020). What is also true is that the brain can adjust to an improved, safer, caring environment whether it is due to lower levels of stress or through learning and enhanced problem solving skills, through a different selfrepresentation etc.…”

“…Another important, recent development is the introduction of neuroimaging sensitive to molecular processes, rather than just macroscopic anatomy. One study showed that growing up in a deprived neighbourhood before the age of 12 was associated with slower growth of a myelin-sensitive marker in adolescence (Ziegler et al, 2020); that this was independent of a number of covariates such as IQ, parental occupation and positivity of parenting; but that it was partly mediated by parental education (see Figure 1). The sample in this study was screened for absence of psychiatric and neurological disorder, and no participants fulfilled the World Bank definition of poverty (not having enough to fulfil basic needs).…”

Beyond a Cognitive Dichotomy: Can Multiple Decision Systems Prove Useful to Distinguish Compulsive and Impulsive Symptom Dimensions?

“…Yes, because new experimental work will allow to systematically probe different systems and thus empower us to more decisively draw conclusion in terms of symptom relationships. Taken together, both lines of investigations can allow us to test whether the contributions of multiple systems differ in impulsive and compulsive disorders and whether those differences are reflected in separate neural systems associated with compulsivity and impulsivity (14,15). In the long run, a multi-facetted differentiation of patients may be of clinical importance to design treatments, e.g.…”