A recent neuroimaging study on conduct disorder in young people has uncovered significant differences in brain structure, particularly in the cerebral cortex, a crucial area for behavior, cognition, and emotion processing. The findings, published in The Lancet Psychiatry and co-authored by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), shed light on the potential underlying neurological factors of the disorder.
The study’s co-author, Dr. Daniel Pine, emphasized the importance of understanding these brain differences to enhance diagnostic and treatment approaches for conduct disorder, a condition characterized by persistent disruptive and antisocial behavior in youth. The study analyzed MRI data from 1,185 youth diagnosed with conduct disorder and 1,253 without, comparing the surface area and thickness of the cerebral cortex as well as the volume of subcortical brain regions.
Results showed that youth with conduct disorder exhibited reduced cortical surface area across various regions of the brain, along with differences in cortical thickness and volume in subcortical regions like the amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus. These brain regions are integral for regulating behaviors commonly associated with conduct disorder. Notably, the study revealed widespread brain structure differences, encompassing multiple brain lobes and both cortical and subcortical areas.
Interestingly, the study found consistent associations between brain structure changes and conduct disorder across gender and subgroups based on age of onset and prosocial traits. Notably, those with more severe conduct disorder symptoms, marked by lower empathy and remorse levels, displayed the most significant brain alterations.
These findings from the largest and most comprehensive study on conduct disorder suggest a strong relationship between brain structure and the disorder’s symptoms. The study’s implications offer new avenues for exploring potential causal links between brain variances and conduct disorder manifestations, providing insights for improved diagnostic and treatment strategies in the future.
The research was led by Dr. Yidian Gao from the University of Birmingham and Dr. Marlene Staginnus from the University of Bath, with the collaboration of the international ENIGMA-Antisocial Behavior working group. Funding for the study was provided by multiple NIH institutes as part of the Big Data to Knowledge Centers of Excellence initiative.
