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A transdiagnostic data-driven study of children's behaviour and the functional connectome
Jonathan S Jones1, The Calm Team1, Duncan E Astle1
1MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK.
Insights
Neurodevelopmental conditions involve behavioral difficulties linked to brain organization. This study found distinct brain connectivity patterns associated with executive function and learning challenges in children, revealing specific neurodevelopmental risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Behavioral difficulties are characteristic of neurodevelopmental conditions.
- Understanding the link between brain organization and specific behavioral profiles is crucial.
- Previous research shows differences in brain organization in neurodevelopmental conditions, but the direct relationship with behavioral profiles remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between behavioral difficulties and functional brain organization in children.
- To identify data-driven behavioral profiles and examine their relationship with functional connectome patterns.
- To explore general and specific neurodevelopmental risk factors within the functional connectome.
Main Methods:
- Utilized consensus community detection to identify behavioral profiles in a transdiagnostic sample of 957 children (aged 5-15).
- Constructed functional connectomes from resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of 238 children.
- Employed multivariate pattern analysis to predict group membership based on connectivity data.
Main Results:
- Identified three distinct behavioral profiles: hot executive function, cool executive function, and learning difficulties.
- Functional connectome patterns, specifically at the level of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks (ICNs), nodes, and hubs, significantly predicted these behavioral profiles.
- Fronto-parietal connector hubs showed under-connectivity across all identified groups compared to controls. Specific connectivity differences were observed between hot and cool executive function groups within ICNs related to cognitive control, emotion, and social cognition.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral difficulties in children are associated with specific patterns of functional brain organization.
- The findings highlight both general (e.g., fronto-parietal under-connectivity) and specific (ICN-level differences) neurodevelopmental risk factors.
- This research provides a foundation for understanding the neural underpinnings of diverse behavioral challenges in neurodevelopmental conditions.
Abstract:
Behavioural difficulties are seen as hallmarks of many neurodevelopmental conditions. Differences in functional brain organisation have been observed in these conditions, but little is known about how they are related to a child's profile of behavioural difficulties. We investigated whether behavioural difficulties are associated with how the brain is functionally organised in an intentionally heterogeneous and transdiagnostic sample of 957 children aged 5-15. We used consensus community detection to derive data-driven profiles of behavioural difficulties and constructed functional connectomes from a subset of 238 children with resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. We identified three distinct profiles of behaviour that were characterised by principal difficulties with hot executive function, cool executive function, and learning. Global organisation of the functional connectome did not differ between the groups, but multivariate patterns of connectivity at the level of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks (ICNs), nodes, and hubs significantly predicted group membership in held-out data. Fronto-parietal connector hubs were under-connected in all groups relative to a comparison sample and children with hot vs cool executive function difficulties were distinguished by connectivity in ICNs associated with cognitive control, emotion processing, and social cognition. This demonstrates both general and specific neurodevelopmental risk factors in the functional connectome.
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