TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Sex differences in neural correlates of common psychopathological symptoms in early adolescence
JO  - Psychological medicine
A1  - Biondo, Francesca
A1  - Thunell, Charlotte Nymberg
A1  - Xu, Bing
A1  - Chu, Congying
A1  - Jia, Tianye
A1  - Ing, Alex
A1  - Quinlan, Erin Burke
A1  - Tay, Nicole
A1  - Banaschewski, Tobias
A1  - Bokde, Arun L. W.
A1  - Büchel, Christian
A1  - Desrivieres, Sylvane
A1  - Flor, Herta
A1  - Frouin, Vincent
A1  - Garavan, Hugh
A1  - Gowland, Penny
A1  - Heinz, Andreas
A1  - Ittermann, Bernd
A1  - Martinot, Jean-Luc
A1  - Lemaitre, Herve
A1  - Nees, Frauke
A1  - Orfanos, Dimitri Papadopoulos
A1  - Poustka, Luise
A1  - Millenet, Sabina
A1  - Fröhner, Juliane H.
A1  - Smolka, Michael N.
A1  - Walter, Henrik
A1  - Whelan, Robert
A1  - Barker, Edward D.
A1  - Schumann, Gunter
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - BACKGROUND: Sex-related differences in psychopathology are known phenomena, with externalizing and internalizing symptoms typically more common in boys and girls, respectively. However, the neural correlates of these sex-by-psychopathology interactions are underinvestigated, particularly in adolescence. <br><br>METHODS: Participants were 14 years of age and part of the IMAGEN study, a large (N = 1526) community-based sample. To test for sex-by-psychopathology interactions in structural grey matter volume (GMV), we used whole-brain, voxel-wise neuroimaging analyses based on robust non-parametric methods. Psychopathological symptom data were derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). <br><br>RESULTS: We found a sex-by-hyperactivity/inattention interaction in four brain clusters: right temporoparietal-opercular region (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = -0.24), bilateral anterior and mid-cingulum (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = -0.18), right cerebellum and fusiform (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = -0.20) and left frontal superior and middle gyri (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = -0.26). Higher symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention were associated with lower GMV in all four brain clusters in boys, and with higher GMV in the temporoparietal-opercular and cerebellar-fusiform clusters in girls. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Using a large, sex-balanced and community-based sample, our study lends support to the idea that externalizing symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention may be associated with different neural structures in male and female adolescents. The brain regions we report have been associated with a myriad of important cognitive functions, in particular, attention, cognitive and motor control, and timing, that are potentially relevant to understand the behavioural manifestations of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering sex in our efforts to uncover mechanisms underlying psychopathology during adolescence.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0033-2917
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720005140
ID  - ref1
ER  -