Association of Childhood Violence Exposure With Adolescent Neural Network Density (JAMA)

By Leigh G. Goetschius, MS; Tyler C. Hein, MD; Sara S. McLanahan, PhD; Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, PhD; Vonnie C. McLoyd, PhD; Hailey L. Dotterer, MS; Nestor Lopez-Duran, PhD; Colter Mitchell, PhD; Luke W. Hyde, PhD; Christopher S. Monk, PhD; Adriene M. Beltz, PhD.  JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3(9):e2017850. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.17850

Question  Are violence exposure and social deprivation associated with person-specific patterns (heterogeneity) of adolescent resting-state functional connectivity?

Findings  In this cohort study of 175 adolescents, childhood violence exposure, but not social deprivation, was associated with reduced adolescent resting-state density of the salience and default mode networks. A data-driven algorithm, blinded to childhood adversity, identified youth with heightened violence exposure based on resting-state connectivity patterns.

Meaning  Childhood violence exposure appears to be associated with adolescent functional connectivity heterogeneity, which may reflect person-specific neural plasticity and should be considered in neuroscience-based interventions.

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