Norbom Linn B, Rokicki Jaroslav, Eilertsen Espen M, Wiker Thea, Hanson Jamie, Dahl Andreas, Alnæs Dag, Fernández-Cabello Sara, Beck Dani, Agartz Ingrid, Andreassen Ole A, Westlye Lars T, Tamnes Christian K
PROMENTA Research Center Department of Psychology University of Oslo Oslo Norway.
NORMENT Institute of Clinical Medicine University of Oslo Oslo Norway.
JCPP Adv. 2024 Feb 6;4(1):e12220. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12220. eCollection 2024 Mar.
A child's socioeconomic environment can shape central aspects of their life, including vulnerability to mental disorders. Negative environmental influences in youth may interfere with the extensive and dynamic brain development occurring at this time. Indeed, there are numerous yet diverging reports of associations between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and child cortical brain morphometry. Most of these studies have used single metric- or unimodal analyses of standard cortical morphometry that downplay the probable scenario where numerous biological pathways account for SES-related cortical differences in youth.
To comprehensively capture such variability, using data from 9758 children aged 8.9-11.1 years from the ABCD Study, we employed linked independent component analysis (LICA) and fused vertex-wise cortical thickness, surface area, curvature and grey-/white-matter contrast (GWC). LICA revealed 70 uni- and multimodal components. We then assessed the linear relationships between parental education, parental income and each of the cortical components, controlling for age, sex, genetic ancestry, and family relatedness. We also assessed whether cortical structure moderated the negative relationships between parental SES and child general psychopathology.
Parental education and income were both associated with larger surface area and higher GWC globally, in addition to local increases in surface area and to a lesser extent bidirectional GWC and cortical thickness patterns. The negative relation between parental income and child psychopathology were attenuated in children with a multimodal pattern of larger frontal- and smaller occipital surface area, and lower medial occipital thickness and GWC.
Structural brain MRI is sensitive to SES diversity in childhood, with GWC emerging as a particularly relevant marker together with surface area. In low-income families, having a more developed cortex across MRI metrics, appears beneficial for mental health.
儿童的社会经济环境能够塑造其生活的核心方面，包括对精神障碍的易感性。青少年时期负面的环境影响可能会干扰此时正在进行的广泛且动态的大脑发育。事实上，关于父母社会经济地位（SES）与儿童皮质脑形态测量之间的关联，有众多但存在分歧的报告。这些研究大多使用标准皮质形态测量的单一指标或单峰分析，而这种分析淡化了众多生物学途径导致青少年SES相关皮质差异的可能情况。
为了全面捕捉这种变异性，我们利用青少年大脑认知发展（ABCD）研究中9758名8.9 - 11.1岁儿童的数据，采用链接独立成分分析（LICA）并融合顶点层面的皮质厚度、表面积、曲率以及灰质/白质对比度（GWC）。LICA揭示了70个单峰和多峰成分。然后，我们评估了父母教育程度、父母收入与每个皮质成分之间的线性关系，并控制了年龄、性别、遗传血统和家庭相关性。我们还评估了皮质结构是否调节了父母SES与儿童一般精神病理学之间的负相关关系。
父母教育程度和收入除了与局部表面积增加以及在较小程度上与双向GWC和皮质厚度模式有关外，还与整体上更大的表面积和更高的GWC相关。在额叶表面积较大且枕叶表面积较小、枕叶内侧厚度和GWC较低的多峰模式儿童中，父母收入与儿童精神病理学之间的负相关关系减弱。
结构性脑磁共振成像对儿童时期的SES差异敏感，GWC与表面积一起成为特别相关的标志物。在低收入家庭中，整个磁共振成像指标显示皮质发育更完善似乎对心理健康有益。
