Longer screen time utilization is associated with the polygenic risk for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with mediation by brain white matter microstructure

Anyi Yang; Edmund T. Rolls; Guiying Dong; Jingnan Du; Yuzhu Li; Jianfeng Feng; Wei Cheng; Xing-Ming Zhao

EBioMedicine (Jun 2022)

Longer screen time utilization is associated with the polygenic risk for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with mediation by brain white matter microstructure

Anyi Yang,
Edmund T. Rolls,
Guiying Dong,
Jingnan Du,
Yuzhu Li,
Jianfeng Feng,
Wei Cheng,
Xing-Ming Zhao

Affiliations

Anyi Yang: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Edmund T. Rolls: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China; Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, UK
Guiying Dong: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
Jingnan Du: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
Yuzhu Li: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
Jianfeng Feng: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China; Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Fudan ISTBI—ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China; MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
Wei Cheng: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China; Fudan ISTBI—ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China; Corresponding authors at: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Xing-Ming Zhao: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China; MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Institute of Intelligent Complex Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding authors at: Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 80
p. 104039

Abstract

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Summary: Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported to be associated with longer screen time utilization (STU) at the behavioral level. However, whether there are shared neural links between ADHD symptoms and prolonged STU is not clear and has not been explored in a single large-scale dataset. Methods: Leveraging the genetics, neuroimaging and behavioral data of 11,000+ children aged 9–11 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development cohort, this study investigates the associations between the polygenic risk and trait for ADHD, STU, and white matter microstructure through cross-sectionally and longitudinal analyses. Findings: Children with higher polygenic risk scores for ADHD tend to have longer STU and more severe ADHD symptoms. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values in several white matter tracts are negatively correlated with both the ADHD polygenic risk score and STU, including the inferior frontal-striatal tract, inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus and corpus callosum. Most of these tracts are linked to visual-related functions. Longitudinal analyses indicate a directional effect of white matter microstructure on the ADHD scale, and a bi-directional effect between the ADHD scale and STU. Furthermore, reduction of FA in several white matter tracts mediates the association between the ADHD polygenic risk score and STU. Interpretation: These findings shed new light on the shared neural overlaps between ADHD symptoms and prolonged STU, and provide evidence that the polygenic risk for ADHD is related, via white matter microstructure and the ADHD trait, to STU. Funding: This study was mainly supported by NSFC and National Key R&D Program of China.

Published in EBioMedicine

ISSN: 2352-3964 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General)
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ebiomedicine/

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