Ruminative brooding is associated with salience network coherence in early pubertal youth

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Rumination, especially ruminative brooding, worsens mood and can lead to depression.
• Previous research explored rumination's link to brain networks in adults, but less is known about early puberty.
• Early puberty is a critical period for brain network development and reorganization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the brain network basis of rumination in early pubertal boys and girls.
• To examine sex differences in the relationship between brain network coherence and ruminative brooding.
• To identify potential neurodevelopmental markers for depression risk in this age group.

Main Methods:

• 112 early pubertal participants underwent resting-state fMRI scans.
• Independent component analysis and dual regression were used to assess functional connectivity within key brain networks (DMN, SN, ECN).
• Behavioral data included the Ruminative Response Scale and Youth Self-Report questionnaire.

Main Results:

• No significant sex differences were found in rumination levels, internalizing symptoms, or overall network coherence.
• Salience network (SN) coherence was associated with ruminative brooding, but this relationship was moderated by sex.
• Higher SN coherence correlated with increased brooding in girls, but not in boys. Brooding mediated the link between SN coherence and internalizing symptoms in girls.

Conclusions:

• Salience network (SN) coherence may serve as a neurodevelopmental marker for depression risk in early pubertal girls.
• The findings highlight sex-specific neural mechanisms underlying rumination during a sensitive developmental period.
• Further research is needed to understand the long-term implications of these early-puberty brain-behavior associations.