Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health

Abstract Early life adversity (ELA) is highly prevalent and has significant detrimental effects on children’s brain development and behavioral outcomes. However, associations of threat, unpredictability, and deprivation in dimensional models of ELA with corticolimbic circuits were unclear. Previous...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yumeng Yang, Tianjiao Kong, Ran Liu, Liang Luo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2025-05-01
Series:Translational Psychiatry
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03384-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850273481337339904
author Yumeng Yang
Tianjiao Kong
Ran Liu
Liang Luo
author_facet Yumeng Yang
Tianjiao Kong
Ran Liu
Liang Luo
author_sort Yumeng Yang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Early life adversity (ELA) is highly prevalent and has significant detrimental effects on children’s brain development and behavioral outcomes. However, associations of threat, unpredictability, and deprivation in dimensional models of ELA with corticolimbic circuits were unclear. Previous studies have highlighted the effects of proximity, especially the distinctions between interpersonal and socioeconomic ELA, on children’s neurodevelopment. This study first examined the associations between multiple ELA categories (i.e., interpersonal threat, socioeconomic threat, interpersonal unpredictability, socioeconomic unpredictability, interpersonal deprivation, and socioeconomic deprivation) and the developmental changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the frontolimbic and temporal-limbic circuits implicated in cognition and psychopathology, using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included four measurements from baseline (mean ± SD age, 119.13 ± 7.51 months; 2815 females) to 3-year follow-up (N = 5885). Controlling for concurrent ELA categories, interpersonal unpredictability and socioeconomic deprivation were associated with accelerated development of rsFC between CON/RTN-amygdala/hippocampus (Cingulo-opercular Network, Retrosplenial Temporal Network). Compared to girls, boys’ corticolimbic circuits development was more sensitive to interpersonal threat. Changes in rsFC mediated the associations between interpersonal unpredictability/socioeconomic deprivation with decreased crystallized cognition, fluid cognition, and internalizing problems. Additionally, socioeconomic deprivation was associated with decreased crystallized cognition through interpersonal unpredictability and changes in rsFC between CON and bilateral amygdala/right hippocampus. This study emphasized interpersonal unpredictability and socioeconomic deprivation as key environmental factors affecting corticolimbic circuit development implicated in cognition and psychopathology. Stable family environments and enriched neighborhoods are crucial for supporting optimal neural and behavioral development in children and adolescents.
format Article
id doaj-art-3bde226afc4644b480d46628114597dc
institution OA Journals
issn 2158-3188
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Nature Publishing Group
record_format Article
series Translational Psychiatry
spelling doaj-art-3bde226afc4644b480d46628114597dc2025-08-20T01:51:28ZengNature Publishing GroupTranslational Psychiatry2158-31882025-05-0115111210.1038/s41398-025-03384-6Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental healthYumeng Yang0Tianjiao Kong1Ran Liu2Liang Luo3State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal UniversityInstitute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal UniversityAbstract Early life adversity (ELA) is highly prevalent and has significant detrimental effects on children’s brain development and behavioral outcomes. However, associations of threat, unpredictability, and deprivation in dimensional models of ELA with corticolimbic circuits were unclear. Previous studies have highlighted the effects of proximity, especially the distinctions between interpersonal and socioeconomic ELA, on children’s neurodevelopment. This study first examined the associations between multiple ELA categories (i.e., interpersonal threat, socioeconomic threat, interpersonal unpredictability, socioeconomic unpredictability, interpersonal deprivation, and socioeconomic deprivation) and the developmental changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the frontolimbic and temporal-limbic circuits implicated in cognition and psychopathology, using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included four measurements from baseline (mean ± SD age, 119.13 ± 7.51 months; 2815 females) to 3-year follow-up (N = 5885). Controlling for concurrent ELA categories, interpersonal unpredictability and socioeconomic deprivation were associated with accelerated development of rsFC between CON/RTN-amygdala/hippocampus (Cingulo-opercular Network, Retrosplenial Temporal Network). Compared to girls, boys’ corticolimbic circuits development was more sensitive to interpersonal threat. Changes in rsFC mediated the associations between interpersonal unpredictability/socioeconomic deprivation with decreased crystallized cognition, fluid cognition, and internalizing problems. Additionally, socioeconomic deprivation was associated with decreased crystallized cognition through interpersonal unpredictability and changes in rsFC between CON and bilateral amygdala/right hippocampus. This study emphasized interpersonal unpredictability and socioeconomic deprivation as key environmental factors affecting corticolimbic circuit development implicated in cognition and psychopathology. Stable family environments and enriched neighborhoods are crucial for supporting optimal neural and behavioral development in children and adolescents.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03384-6
spellingShingle Yumeng Yang
Tianjiao Kong
Ran Liu
Liang Luo
Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
Translational Psychiatry
title Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
title_full Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
title_fullStr Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
title_full_unstemmed Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
title_short Associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents’ corticolimbic circuits, cognition, and mental health
title_sort associations of interpersonal and socioeconomic early life adversity dimensions with adolescents corticolimbic circuits cognition and mental health
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03384-6
work_keys_str_mv AT yumengyang associationsofinterpersonalandsocioeconomicearlylifeadversitydimensionswithadolescentscorticolimbiccircuitscognitionandmentalhealth
AT tianjiaokong associationsofinterpersonalandsocioeconomicearlylifeadversitydimensionswithadolescentscorticolimbiccircuitscognitionandmentalhealth
AT ranliu associationsofinterpersonalandsocioeconomicearlylifeadversitydimensionswithadolescentscorticolimbiccircuitscognitionandmentalhealth
AT liangluo associationsofinterpersonalandsocioeconomicearlylifeadversitydimensionswithadolescentscorticolimbiccircuitscognitionandmentalhealth