Dimensions of Early-Life Adversity Are Differentially Associated With Patterns of Delayed and Accelerated Brain Maturation

Dani Beck; Lucy Whitmore; Niamh MacSweeney; Alexis Brieant; Valerie Karl; Ann-Marie G de Lange; Lars T Westlye; Kathryn L Mills; Christian K Tamnes

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.019

Dimensions of Early-Life Adversity Are Differentially Associated With Patterns of Delayed and Accelerated Brain Maturation

Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 1;97(1):64-72. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.019. Epub 2024 Jul 29.

Authors

Dani Beck¹, Lucy Whitmore², Niamh MacSweeney³, Alexis Brieant⁴, Valerie Karl⁵, Ann-Marie G de Lange⁶, Lars T Westlye⁷, Kathryn L Mills², Christian K Tamnes³

Affiliations

¹ PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: dani.beck@psykologi.uio.no.
² Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.
³ PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont.
⁵ PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁶ Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
⁷ Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

PMID: 39084501
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.07.019

Abstract

Background: Different types of early-life adversity (ELA) have been associated with children's brain structure and function. However, understanding the disparate influence of distinct adversity exposures on the developing brain remains a major challenge.

Methods: This study investigates the neural correlates of 10 robust dimensions of ELA identified through exploratory factor analysis in a large community sample of youth from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Brain age models were trained, validated, and tested separately on T1-weighted (n = 9524), diffusion tensor (n = 8834), and resting-state functional (n = 8233) magnetic resonance imaging data from two time points (mean age = 10.7 years, SD = 1.2, age range = 8.9-13.8 years).

Results: Bayesian multilevel modeling supported distinct associations between different types of ELA exposures and younger- and older-looking brains. Dimensions generally related to emotional neglect, such as lack of primary and secondary caregiver support and lack of caregiver supervision, were associated with lower brain age gaps, i.e., younger-looking brains. In contrast, dimensions generally related to caregiver psychopathology, trauma exposure, family aggression, substance use and separation from biological parent, and socioeconomic disadvantage and neighborhood safety were associated with higher brain age gaps, i.e., older-looking brains.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that dimensions of ELA are differentially associated with distinct neurodevelopmental patterns, indicative of dimension-specific delayed and accelerated brain maturation.

Keywords: ABCD Study; Adolescence; Brain age; Development; Early-life adversity; MRI.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adverse Childhood Experiences*
Bayes Theorem
Brain* / diagnostic imaging
Brain* / growth & development
Child
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Male