Poverty, Cortical Structure, and Psychopathologic Characteristics in Adolescence.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood poverty is a significant risk factor for adolescent psychiatric problems.
• Longitudinal studies investigating the neural mechanisms linking poverty to psychiatric symptoms are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if structural differences in cortical regions mediate the association between household poverty and changes in psychiatric symptoms during early adolescence.
• To explore the neurobiological pathways connecting socioeconomic status and behavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal cohort study using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N=7569).
• Household poverty measured by income-to-needs ratio.
• Cortical surface area, thickness, and volume assessed via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Internalizing and externalizing problems measured by maternal report (Child Behavior Checklist) at baseline and 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• Poverty was associated with increased externalizing symptoms over one year, even after controlling for baseline symptoms.
• Reductions in cortical surface area in regions supporting executive functioning, decision-making, and sensory processing mediated the link between poverty and increased externalizing problems.
• No significant association was found between poverty and internalizing problems.

Conclusions:

• Childhood poverty is longitudinally associated with increased externalizing problems in early adolescence.
• Reduced cortical surface area in key brain regions represents a potential neurobiological mechanism linking poverty to externalizing behaviors.
• Findings underscore the impact of socioeconomic factors on adolescent brain development and mental health.