Study protocol: imaging brain development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (iCATS)

Area of Science:

• Developmental neuroscience
• Pediatric psychopathology
• Neuroendocrinology

Background:

• Puberty is a critical period for maturation and the peak onset of psychopathology.
• While gonadarche is well-studied, adrenarche's role in brain development and disorder risk is increasingly recognized.
• Adrenarche, driven by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, precedes gonadarche and influences development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the hypothesis that brain development patterns mediate the link between adrenarche timing and mental health outcomes.
• To examine the influence of adrenarcheal hormone exposure timing on structural and functional brain development.
• To assess the relationship between adrenarche timing and indices of affect, self-regulation, and mental health symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 128 children (mean age 9.51 years) based on early or late adrenarche timing.
• Collected structural and functional brain MRI, saliva for hormones/biomarkers, hair for cortisol, and completed cognitive/behavioral assessments.
• Gathered parent reports on child behavior, development, health, trauma, family environment, and parenting style.

Main Results:

• Analysis of neurobiological and behavioral consequences of adrenarche timing is ongoing.
• The study design allows for examination of mediating effects of brain development.
• Longitudinal data collection will track changes over developmental years.

Conclusions:

• This research has the potential to significantly advance understanding of pubertal risk processes.
• Examining neurobiological and behavioral outcomes of adrenarche timing offers novel insights.
• Findings could inform interventions for psychopathology risk during puberty.