Executive functions and psychopathology: A transdiagnostic network analysis.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychopathology

Background:

• Mental health research is increasingly adopting dimensional, transdiagnostic frameworks.
• The specific role of executive functions (EFs) across diverse psychopathological domains requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transdiagnostic associations between executive functions and psychopathology in preadolescents.
• To explore potential directional pathways linking EFs and psychopathology using network analysis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a large sample (N=9,119) of preadolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.
• Employed Gaussian graphical models (GGMs) to estimate partial correlations between EFs and psychopathology.
• Applied directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to infer potential directional influences within the psychopathology network.

Main Results:

• Modest associations were found between executive functions and various psychopathological symptoms.
• Working memory emerged as a central node, associated with attention problems, social problems, rule-breaking behavior, and negatively with anxious/depressed and somatic complaints.
• Directed acyclic graph analysis identified working memory and attention problems as key converging hubs in the network.

Conclusions:

• Working memory plays a core transdiagnostic role in preadolescent psychopathology.
• Network analysis reveals specific pathways and central nodes linking executive functions to mental health challenges.
• Sex-stratified analyses indicated differences in network structures, suggesting potential sex-specific influences.