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Perceived Racism, Brain Development, and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: Findings From the ABCD Study
Shanting Chen1, Catalina Lopez-Quintero1, Amanda Elton1
1University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Summary
Racial discrimination impacts adolescent brain development, altering neural connectivity and mental health outcomes, particularly in females. These findings highlight sex-specific neurobiological effects of chronic stress from discrimination.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Racial discrimination is a significant stressor for minority youth, contributing to health disparities.
- Chronic stress from discrimination can negatively affect brain development and mental health.
- Understanding the neurobiological pathways is crucial for addressing these disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the neurobiological mechanisms linking perceived racial discrimination to mental and behavioral health outcomes in racial/ethnic minority youth.
- To investigate how discrimination affects brain development, specifically resting-state functional connectivity in subcortical regions and large-scale brain networks.
- To determine if brain changes mediate sex-specific effects on internalizing or externalizing symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 3,321 racial/ethnic minority youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
- Utilized propensity score-weighted machine learning to assess discrimination's effects on brain connectivity over two years.
- Employed mediation analyses to evaluate sex-specific impacts on internalizing/externalizing symptoms.
Main Results:
- Perceived discrimination was linked to significant 2-year changes in the connectivity of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus.
- Observed decreased connectivity in the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, and increased hippocampal connectivity, suggesting accelerated maturation.
- Found sex differences: discrimination-related nucleus accumbens changes correlated with internalizing symptoms in females.
Conclusions:
- Perceived racial discrimination in adolescence influences subcortical-cortical brain development.
- These neurobiological changes impact mental and behavioral health outcomes.
- The effects of discrimination on brain development and subsequent mental health are sex-specific.
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