Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
09:32
Cortical Source Analysis of High-Density EEG Recordings in Children
Published on: June 30, 2014
21.5K
Network-wise surface-based morphometric insight into the cortical neural circuitry underlying irritability in
Sahil Bajaj1,2, Karina S Blair3,4, Johannah Bashford-Largo3,4
1Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA. sahil.bajaj@boystown.org.
Translational Psychiatry
|November 11, 2021
Summary
Adolescents with high irritability show reduced brain control and default-mode network volumes. Intelligence partially explains how control network volume relates to irritability severity, suggesting a link between brain structure, IQ, and irritability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Previous research on brain structure and irritability has yielded inconsistent findings due to region-specific approaches.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of irritability in adolescents is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate network-level cortical volume differences in adolescents with and without clinically impairing irritability.
- To examine the association between functional network cortical volume and irritability severity.
- To determine the mediating role of IQ in the relationship between structural brain abnormalities and irritability severity.
Main Methods:
- Structural MRI and IQ data were collected from 249 adolescents (130 high irritability, 119 low irritability).
- Subject-specific network-wise cortical volume was estimated using a 17-network functional parcellation.
- Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA), multiple regression, and mediation analyses were employed.
Main Results:
- Adolescents with high irritability exhibited significantly reduced cortical volume in bilateral control and default-mode networks compared to controls.
- A significant negative association was found between control network cortical volume and irritability severity.
- Intelligence (IQ) partially mediated the relationship between control network cortical volume and irritability severity.
- Reduced subcortical volume in the bilateral amygdala was also observed in adolescents with high irritability.
Conclusions:
- Reduced cortical volume in control and default-mode networks, along with amygdala subcortical volume reduction, may be core pathophysiological features of irritability.
- Adolescent IQ may play a significant role in how control network-related pathophysiology manifests as irritability.
