Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Conduct Disorder

Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Harmonized psychiatric diagnosis data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

Research square·2026

Same author

Psychopathy traits and their link to emotion recognition impairments in conduct disorder.

JCPP advances·2026

Same author

Altered neurodevelopmental trajectories of brain structure in Tourette syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorders.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026

Same author

Brain age prediction in generalized anxiety disorder using a convolutional neural network.

Translational psychiatry·2026

Same author

Stress reactivity of the autonomic nervous system in youth with and without major depressive disorder.

European child & adolescent psychiatry·2026

Same author

Lonelier people feel less empathic despite intact neural empathy responses after meditation training.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Published on: August 18, 2020

Dimensional Associations Between Conduct Problems and Brain Structure Across 18 International Cohorts in ENIGMA.

Marlene Staginnus¹, Yidian Gao², Sophie Townend¹

¹University of Bath, United Kingdom.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

|March 16, 2026

Summary

Conduct problems (CPs) are linked to subtle brain structure differences in youth, affecting surface area, thickness, and volume. These neuroanatomical variations are widespread and influenced by sex and age.

Keywords:

ENIGMA brain structure conduct disorder conduct problems dimensional psychopathology

More Related Videos

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Published on: December 2, 2015

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Published on: September 12, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Published on: August 18, 2020

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Published on: December 2, 2015

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Published on: September 12, 2011

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Psychiatry

Background:

Conduct problems (CPs) are continuously distributed, yet their neurobiological underpinnings, particularly dimensional aspects, remain underexplored.
Understanding the brain structure correlates of CPs is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

To comprehensively assess the associations between dimensionally-measured CPs and brain structure using the largest sample to date.
To investigate potential moderators of these associations, including sex, age, and callous-unemotional traits.

Main Methods:

Utilized T1-weighted structural MRI scans from 14,160 youths (ages 5-21) across 18 international cohorts.
Employed ENIGMA-standardized protocols for pre-processing and regression models to analyze CPs' relationship with cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes.
Examined moderation by sex, age, and callous-unemotional traits, adjusting for covariates like age, sex, and intracranial volume.

Main Results:

Observed widespread, small negative associations between CPs and surface area, cortical thickness, and amygdalar/hippocampal volumes.
Identified sex as a key moderator, with many surface area associations specific to boys and some thickness associations to girls.
Found associations varied by age and callous-unemotional traits, with some findings persisting after IQ adjustment.

Conclusions:

CPs are associated with subtle but widespread alterations in brain structure, extending beyond clinically diagnosed conduct disorder.
Novel associations with cortical thickness were identified, suggesting neuroanatomical differences are not confined to severe cases.
Findings contribute to neurocognitive models of CPs by highlighting broader brain regions involved.