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Sex-specific frontal-striatal connectivity differences among adolescents with externalizing disorders
Ya Chai1, José R Chimelis-Santiago1, Kristy A Bixler1
1Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|September 1, 2021
Summary
Boys with externalizing disorders show higher impulsivity and distinct brain connectivity patterns compared to girls. Medial-lateral prefrontal connectivity may serve as a male-specific biomarker for impulsivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Sex-specific neurobiological factors influencing impulsivity in youth with externalizing disorders remain understudied.
- Previous research indicated sex differences in fronto-subcortical functional connectivity (FC) in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and self-rated impulsivity in 11-12-year-old youth with externalizing disorders.
- To examine the interaction between sex, FC, and impulsivity within key brain networks.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess seed-based FC in boys and girls with externalizing disorders.
- Generalized linear models controlled for pubertal development, with seeds placed in the ventral striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and amygdala.
Main Results:
- Boys reported higher impulsivity scores than girls.
- Boys exhibited greater positive connectivity in the ventromedial prefrontal-ventral striatal network.
- Boys showed weaker connectivity in medial-lateral prefrontal cortical networks compared to girls, with this connectivity correlating with impulsivity only in boys.
Conclusions:
- Findings support sex differences in functional brain networks (ventral striatal-ventromedial prefrontal and medial-lateral prefrontal) related to impulse control in youth with externalizing disorders.
- Medial-lateral prefrontal connectivity may function as a male-specific biomarker for impulsivity in this population.
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