Shared pattern of impaired social communication and cognitive ability in the youth brain across diagnostic boundaries

Irene Voldsbekk; Rikka Kjelkenes; Thomas Wolfers; Andreas Dahl; Martina J. Lund; Tobias Kaufmann; Sara Fernandez-Cabello; Ann-Marie G. de Lange; Christian K. Tamnes; Ole A. Andreassen; Lars T. Westlye; Dag Alnæs

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Apr 2023)

Shared pattern of impaired social communication and cognitive ability in the youth brain across diagnostic boundaries

Irene Voldsbekk,
Rikka Kjelkenes,
Thomas Wolfers,
Andreas Dahl,
Martina J. Lund,
Tobias Kaufmann,
Sara Fernandez-Cabello,
Ann-Marie G. de Lange,
Christian K. Tamnes,
Ole A. Andreassen,
Lars T. Westlye,
Dag Alnæs

Affiliations

Irene Voldsbekk: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Correspondence to: NORMENT, Oslo universitetssykehus HF, Klinikk psykisk helse og avhengighet, Seksjon for psykoseforskning/TOP, Ullevål sykehus, bygg 49, Postboks 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway.
Rikka Kjelkenes: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Thomas Wolfers: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Andreas Dahl: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Martina J. Lund: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Tobias Kaufmann: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Germany
Sara Fernandez-Cabello: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Ann-Marie G. de Lange: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, CHUV and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Christian K. Tamnes: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway; PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Ole A. Andreassen: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Lars T. Westlye: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Dag Alnæs: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway; Correspondence to: NORMENT, Oslo universitetssykehus HF, Klinikk psykisk helse og avhengighet, Seksjon for psykoseforskning/TOP, Ullevål sykehus, bygg 49, Postboks 4956 Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 60
p. 101219

Abstract

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Background: Abnormalities in brain structure are shared across diagnostic categories. Given the high rate of comorbidity, the interplay of relevant behavioural factors may also cross these classic boundaries. Methods: We aimed to detect brain-based dimensions of behavioural factors using canonical correlation and independent component analysis in a clinical youth sample (n = 1732, 64 % male, age: 5–21 years). Results: We identified two correlated patterns of brain structure and behavioural factors. The first mode reflected physical and cognitive maturation (r = 0.92, p = .005). The second mode reflected lower cognitive ability, poorer social skills, and psychological difficulties (r = 0.92, p = .006). Elevated scores on the second mode were a common feature across all diagnostic boundaries and linked to the number of comorbid diagnoses independently of age. Critically, this brain pattern predicted normative cognitive deviations in an independent population-based sample (n = 1253, 54 % female, age: 8–21 years), supporting the generalisability and external validity of the reported brain-behaviour relationships. Conclusions: These results reveal dimensions of brain-behaviour associations across diagnostic boundaries, highlighting potent disorder-general patterns as the most prominent. In addition to providing biologically informed patterns of relevant behavioural factors for mental illness, this contributes to a growing body of evidence in favour of transdiagnostic approaches to prevention and intervention.

Published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

ISSN: 1878-9293 (Print); 1878-9307 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Physiology: Neurophysiology and neuropsychology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/developmental-cognitive-neuroscience/

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