White Matter Microstructure and the General Psychopathology Factor in Children

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Co-occurring behavioral and emotional problems in children are common and may indicate a general psychopathology factor.
• The neurobiological underpinnings of this general psychopathology factor are not well understood.
• Previous research suggests a link between general psychopathology and vulnerability to various psychiatric issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neurobiological substrate of the general psychopathology factor in children.
• To test the hypothesis that lower white matter microstructure is associated with higher general psychopathology.
• To examine if white matter microstructure is more related to general psychopathology than specific factors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 3,030 children in the Generation R population-based cohort (ages 6-10 years).
• Estimated general and specific psychopathology factors using a latent bifactor model with multiple informants and instruments.
• Assessed global white matter microstructure at age 10 years using structural equation modeling, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• A 1-SD increase in global white matter microstructure was associated with a 0.07-SD decrease in general psychopathology (p < .01).
• Conversely, a 1-SD increase in white matter microstructure predicted a 0.07-SD increase in specific externalizing factors (p < .01).
• No significant association was found between white matter microstructure and specific internalizing or attention factors.

Conclusions:

• General psychopathology in childhood is associated with widespread white matter structure across the brain.
• Findings suggest that white matter integrity plays a role in the general vulnerability to psychopathology.
• Considering general psychopathology may elucidate neurobiological mechanisms underlying specific symptoms obscured by comorbidity.