Frontostriatal Resting State Functional Connectivity in Resilient and Non-Resilient Adolescents with a Family History of Alcohol Use Disorder

Tangent space functional reconfigurations in individuals at risk for alcohol use disorder

Human brain function dynamically adjusts to ever-changing stimuli from the external environment. Studies characterizing brain functional reconfiguration are nevertheless scarce. Here we present a principled mathematical framework to quantify brain functional reconfiguration when engaging and disengaging from a stop signal task (SST). We apply tangent space projection (a Riemannian geometry mapping technique) to transform functional connectomes (FCs) of 54 participants and quantify functional reconfiguration using the correlation distance of the resulting tangent-FCs. Our goal was to compare functional reconfigurations in individuals at risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). We hypothesized that functional reconfigurations when transitioning to/from a task would be influenced by family history of alcohol use disorder (FHA) and other AUD risk factors. Multilinear regression models showed that engaging and disengaging functional reconfiguration were associated with FHA and recent drinking. When engaging in the SST after a rest condition, functional reconfiguration was negatively associated with recent drinking, while functional reconfiguration when disengaging from the SST was negatively associated with FHA. In both models, several other factors contributed to the functional reconfiguration. This study demonstrates that tangent-FCs can characterize task-induced functional reconfiguration, and that it is related to AUD risk.

The clinical, neuropsychological, and brain functional characteristics of the ADHD restrictive inattentive presentation

Objectives

There is an ongoing debate about the restrictive inattentive (RI) presentation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The current study aimed to systematically investigate the clinical, neuropsychological, and brain functional characteristics of children with ADHD restrictive inattentive presentation.

Methods

A clinical sample of 789 children with or without ADHD participated in the current study and finished clinical interviews, questionnaires, and neuropsychological tests. Those individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD were further divided into three subgroups according to the presentation of inattentive and/or hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, the ADHD-RI, the ADHD-I (inattentive), and the ADHD-C (combined) groups. Between-group comparisons were carried out on each clinical and neuropsychological measure using ANCOVA, with age and sex as covariates. Bonferroni corrections were applied to correct for multiple comparisons. Two hundred twenty-seven of the subjects also went through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Five ADHD-related brain functional networks, including the default mode network (DMN), the dorsal attention network (DAN), the ventral attention network, the executive control network, and the salience network, were built using predefined regions of interest (ROIs). Voxel-based group-wise comparisons were performed.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, all ADHD groups presented more clinical problems and weaker cognitive function. Among the ADHD groups, the ADHD-C group had the most clinical problems, especially delinquent and aggressive behaviors. Regarding cognitive function, the ADHD-RI group displayed the most impaired sustained attention, and the ADHD-C group had the worst response inhibition function. In terms of brain functional connectivity (FC), reduced FC in the DMN was identified in the ADHD-C and the ADHD-I groups but not the ADHD-RI group, compared to the healthy controls. Subjects with ADHD-I also presented decreased FC in the DAN in contrast to the control group. The ADHD-RI displayed marginally significantly lower FC in the salience network compared to the ADHD-I and the control groups.

Conclusion

The ADHD-RI group is distinguishable from the ADHD-I and the ADHD-C groups. It is characterized by fewer externalizing behaviors, worse sustained attention, and better response inhibition function. The absence of abnormally high hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in ADHD-RI might be related to less impaired brain function in DMN, but potentially more impairment in the salience network.

The involvement of spontaneous brain activity in natural recovery from internet gaming disorder: A resting-state fMRI study

OBJECTIVE

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) can seriously impair an individual's physical and mental health. However, unlike the majority of those suffering from substance addiction, individuals with IGD may recover without any professional intervention. Understanding the brain mechanisms of natural recovery from IGD may provide new insight into how to prevent addiction and implement more targeted interventions.

METHODS

Sixty individuals with IGD were scanned by using a resting-state fMRI to assess brain region changes associated with IGD. After 1 year, 19 individuals with IGD no longer met the IGD criteria and were considered recovered (RE-IGD), 23 individuals still met the IGD criteria (PER-IGD), and 18 individuals left the study. The brain activity in resting state between 19 RE-IGD individuals and 23 PER-IGD individuals was compared by using regional homogeneity (ReHo). Additionally, brain structure and cue-craving functional MRIs were collected to further support the results in the resting-state.

RESULTS

The resting-state fMRI results revealed that activity in brain regions responsible for reward and inhibitory control [including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the precuneus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)] was decreased in the PER-IGD individuals compared to RE-IGD individuals. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between mean ReHo values in the precuneus and self-reported craving scores for gaming, whether among the PER-IGD individuals or the RE-IGD individuals. Furthermore, we found similar results in that brain structure and cue-craving differences exist between the PER-IGD individuals and RE-IGD individuals, specifically in the brain regions associated with reward processing and inhibitory control (including the DLPFC, anterior cingulate gyrus, insula, OFC, precuneus, and superior frontal gyrus).

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that the brain regions responsible for reward processing and inhibitory control are different in PER-IGD individuals, which may have consequences on natural recovery. Our present study provides neuroimaging evidence that spontaneous brain activity may influence natural recovery from IGD.

Triple Network Functional Connectivity During Acute Stress in Adolescents and the Influence of Polyvictimization

BACKGROUND

Exposure to both chronic and acute stressors can disrupt functional connectivity (FC) of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN), increasing risk for negative health outcomes. During adolescence, these stress-sensitive triple networks undergo critical neuromaturation that is altered by chronic exposure to general forms of trauma or victimization. However, no work has directly examined how acute stress affects triple network FC in adolescents or whether polyvictimization-exposure to multiple categories/subtypes of victimization-influences adolescent triple network neural acute stress response.

METHODS

This functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined seed-to-voxel FC of the DMN, SN, and CEN during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Complete data from 73 participants aged 9 to 16 years (31 female) are reported.

RESULTS

During acute stress, FC was increased between DMN and CEN regions and decreased between the SN and the DMN and CEN. Greater polyvictimization was associated with reduced FC during acute stress exposure between the DMN seed and a cluster containing the left insula of the SN.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that acute stress exposure alters FC between the DMN, SN, and CEN in adolescents. In addition, FC changes during stress between the DMN and SN are further moderated by polyvictimization exposure.

A prospective investigation of youth alcohol experimentation and reward responsivity in the ABCD study

Rationale

Greater risk-taking behaviors, such as alcohol experimentation, are associated with different patterns of brain functioning in regions implicated in reward (nucleus accumbens, NA) and cognitive control (inferior frontal gyrus, IFG). These neural features have been observed in youth with greater risk-taking tendencies prior to substance use initiation, suggesting NA-IFG disruption may serve as an early marker for subsequent substance use disorders. Prospective studies are needed to determine if NA-IFG neural disruption predicts future substance use in school-age children, including those with minimal use of alcohol (e.g., sipping). The present large-sample prospective study sought to use machine learning to: (1) examine alcohol sipping at ages 9, 10 as a potential behavioral indicator of concurrent underlying altered neural responsivity to reward, and (2) determine if alcohol sipping and NA-IFG activation at ages 9, 10 can be used to predict which youth reported increased alcohol use at ages 11, 12. Additionally, low-level alcohol use and brain functioning at ages 9, 10 were examined as predictors of substance use and brain functioning at ages 11, 12.

Design and methods

This project used data from the baseline (Time 1) and two-year follow-up (Time 2) assessments of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (Release 3.0). Support Vector Machine (SVM) learning determined if: (1) NA-IFG neural activity could correctly identify youth who reported alcohol sipping at Time 1 (n = 7409, mean age = 119.34 months, SD = 7.53; 50.27% female), and (2) NA-IFG and alcohol sipping frequency at Time 1 could correctly identify youth who reported drinking alcohol at Time 2 (n = 4000, mean age = 143.25 months, SD = 7.63; 47.53% female). Linear regression was also used to examine the relationship between alcohol sipping and NA-IFG activity at Time 1 and substance use and NA-IFG activity at Time 2. Data were also examined to characterize the environmental context in which youth first tried sips of alcohol (e.g., with or without parental permission, as part of a religious experience).

Results

Approximately 24% of the sample reported having tried sips of alcohol by ages 9, 10. On average, youth reported trying sips of alcohol 4.87 times (SD = 23.19) with age of first sip occurring at 7.36 years old (SD = 1.91). The first SVM model classified youth according to alcohol sipping status at Time 1 no better than chance with an accuracy of 0.35 (balanced accuracy = 0.52, sensitivity = 0.24, specificity = 0.80). The second SVM model classified youth according to alcohol drinking status at Time 2 with an accuracy of 0.76 (balanced accuracy = 0.56, sensitivity = 0.21, specificity = 0.91). Linear regression demonstrated that frequency of alcohol sipping at Time 1 predicted frequency of alcohol use at Time 2 (p < 0.001, adjusted R 2 = 0.075). Alcohol sipping at Time 1 was not linearly associated with NA or IFG activity at Time 2 (all ps > 0.05), and NA activity at Time 1 and Time 2 were not related (all ps > 0.05). Activity in the three subsections of the IFG at Time 1 predicted activity in those same regions at Time 2 (all ps < 0.02).

Conclusions and implications

Early sips of alcohol appear to predict alcohol use in early adolescence. Findings do not provide strong evidence for minimal early alcohol use (sipping) as a behavioral marker of underlying alterations in NA-IFG neural responsivity to reward. Improving our understanding of the neural and behavioral factors that indicate a greater propensity for future substance use is crucial for identifying at-risk youth and potential targets for preventative efforts.

Effects of family history of substance use disorder on reward processing in adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Patients with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often develop early onset substance use disorder (SUD) and show poor treatment outcomes. Both disorders show similar reward‐processing alterations, but it is unclear whether these are associated with familial vulnerability to SUD. Our aim was to investigate effects of family history of SUD (FH) on reward processing in individuals with and without ADHD, without substance misuse. Behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a modified monetary incentive delay task were compared between participants with and without FH (FH positive [FH+]: n = 76 and FH negative [FH−]: n = 69; 76 with ADHD, aged 16.74 ± 3.14, 82 males), while accounting for continuous ADHD scores. The main analysis showed distinct positive association between ADHD scores and reaction times during neutral versus reward condition. ADHD scores were also positively associated with anticipatory responses of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, independent of FH. There were no main FH effects on brain activation. Yet, FH+ participants showed distinct neural alterations in ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), dependent on ADHD. This was driven by positive association between ADHD scores and VLPFC activation during reward outcome, only in FH+. Sensitivity analysis with stricter SUD index showed hyperactivation of anterior cingulate cortex for FH+, independent of ADHD, during reward anticipation. There were no FH or ADHD effects on activation of ventral striatum in any analysis. Findings suggest both FH and ADHD effects in circuits of reward and attention/memory during reward processing. Future studies should examine whether these relate to early substance use initiation in ADHD and explore the need for adjusted SUD prevention strategies.

Trajectories of brain development reveal times of risk and factors promoting resilience to alcohol use during adolescence

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is recognized as harmful for the developing brain. Numerous studies have sought environmental and genetic risk factors that predict the development of AUD, but recently identified resilience factors have emerged as protective. This chapter reviews normal processes of brain development in adolescence and emerging adulthood, delineates disturbed growth neurotrajectories related to heavy drinking, and identifies potential endogenous, experiential, and time-linked brain markers of resilience. For example, concurrent high dorsolateral prefrontal activation serving inhibitory control and low nucleus accumbens activation serving reward functions engender positive adaptation and low alcohol use. Also discussed is the role that moderating factors have in promoting risk for or resilience to AUD. Longitudinal research on the effects of all levels of alcohol drinking on the developing brain remains crucial and should be pursued in the context of resilience, which is a promising direction for identifying protective biomarkers against developing AUDs.

Prospective study on resting state functional connectivity in adolescents with major depressive disorder after antidepressant treatment

Recent advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have resulted in many studies on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in depressed patients. Previous studies have shown alterations between multiple brain areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and basal ganglia, but there are very few prospective studies with a longitudinal design on adolescent depression patients. We therefore investigated the change in positive rsFC in a homogeneous drug-naïve adolescent group after 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment. Functional neuroimaging data were collected and analyzed from 32 patients and 27 healthy controls. Based on previous literature, the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula, hippocampus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were selected as seed regions. Seed-to-voxel analyses were performed between pre- and post-treatment states as well as between the patients and controls at baseline. The positive rsFC between the right DLPFC and the left putamen/right frontal operculum were shown to be higher in patients than in the controls. The positive rsFC between the left DLPFC and left putamen/left lingual gyrus was also higher in the patients than in the controls. The positive rsFC between the right dorsal ACC and the left precentral gyrus had reduced after the 12-week antidepressant treatment. Regions involved in the frontolimbic circuit showed changes in the positive rsFC in the depressed adolescents as compared to in the healthy controls. There were also significant changes in the positive rsFC after 12-weeks of antidepressant treatment. The involved regions were associated with emotional regulation, cognitive functioning, impulse control, and visual processing.

Risk and resilience for alcohol use disorder revealed in brain functional connectivity

A family history of alcoholism (FH) increases risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD), yet many at-risk individuals never develop alcohol use problems. FH is associated with intermediate levels of risk phenotypes, whereas distinct, compensatory brain changes likely promote resilience. Although several cognitive, behavioral, and personality factors have been associated with AUD, the relative contributions of these processes and their neural underpinnings to risk or resilience processes remains less clear. We examined whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and behavioral metrics from 841 young adults from the Human Connectome Project, including healthy controls, individuals with AUD, and their unaffected siblings. First, we identified functional connections in which unaffected siblings were intermediate between controls and AUD, indicating AUD risk, and those in which siblings diverged, indicating resilience. Canonical correlations relating brain risk and resilience FC to behavioral patterns revealed AUD risk and resilience phenotypes. Risk phenotypes primarily implicated frontal-parietal networks corresponding with executive function, impulsivity, externalizing behaviors, and social-emotional intelligence. Conversely, resilience-related phenotypes were underpinned by networks of medial prefrontal, striatal, temporal, brainstem and cerebellar connectivity, which associated with high trait attention and low antisocial behavior. Additionally, we calculated "polyphenotypic" risk and resilience scores, to investigate how the relative load of risk and resilience phenotypes influenced the probability of an AUD diagnosis. Polyphenotypic scores predicted AUD in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, resilience phenotypes interacted with risk phenotypes, reducing their effects. The hypothesis-generating results revealed interpretable AUD-related phenotypes and offer brain-informed targets for developing more effective interventions.

The functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and supplementary motor area moderates the relationship between internet gaming disorder and loneliness

BACKGROUND

Individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) usually report a higher sense of loneliness. Although studies have suggested a key role of the prefrontal cortex-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in both IGD and loneliness, the potential mechanism between IGD and loneliness remains unclear.

METHODS

Fifty-seven IGD and 81 matched recreational internet gamer users (RGU) underwent resting-state fMRI scans. The UCLA loneliness scale was used to measure loneliness. We first explored the brain areas that are both associated with loneliness and IGD severity. Then, the neuroimaging findings were extracted to test whether the rsFC of these brain regions moderates the relationship between IGD and loneliness.

RESULTS

We observed reduced rsFC between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the left precentral and the postcentral gyri and the supplementary motor area (SMA), which also correlated with increased IAT (Young''s internet addiction test) scores. More importantly, the rsFC of the DLPFC-precentral gyrus and the DLPFC-postcentral gyrus moderated the relationship between IGD severity and loneliness scores. Additionally, we also found that the rsFC of the left DLPFC-precentral gyrus, the DLPFC-postcentral gyrus and the right DLPFC-SMA moderated the relationship between self-reported gaming craving and the UCLA scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study confirmed the role of the DLPFC in reward control (game craving) and emotion regulation (loneliness). Additionally, the rsFC of the prefrontal cortex-supplementary motor area moderates IGD and loneliness. These findings provide valuable understanding of the two-way relationship between IGD and loneliness.

Delay discounting and neurocognitive correlates among inner city adolescents with and without family history of substance use disorder

Adolescents with a family history (FH+) of substance use disorder (SUD) are at a greater risk for SUD, suggested to be partly due to the transmission of behavioral impulsivity. We used a delay discounting task to compare impulsivity in decision-making and its associated brain functioning among FH+ and FH - minority adolescents. Participants chose between Smaller Sooner (SS) and Larger Later (LL) rewards. The SS was available immediately (Now trials) or in the future (Not-Now trials), allowing for greater differentiation between impulsive decisions. The FH+ group showed greater impatience by responding SS more frequently than the FH - group, only on the Now trials, and even when the relative reward differences (RRD) increased. Surprisingly, there were no differences in brain activity between the groups. Combined, the groups showed greater reward activity during the Now vs. Not-Now trials in medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, precuneus, and inferior frontal gyrus (i.e., an immediacy effect). As the RRD increased activation in the reward network decreased, including the striatum, possibly reflecting easy decision-making. These results indicate that risk for SUD, seen behaviorally among FH+ adolescents, may not yet be associated with discernable brain changes, suggesting that early intervention has the potential to reduce this risk.

Functional connectivity in frontostriatal networks differentiate offspring of parents with substance use disorders from other high-risk youth

BACKGROUND

Family history (FH) of substance use disorders (SUDs) is known to elevate SUD risk in offspring. However, the influence of FH SUDs has been confounded by the effect of externalizing psychopathologies in the addiction risk neuroimaging literature. Thus, the current study aimed to assess the association between parental SUDs and offspring functional connectivity in samples matched for psychopathology and demographics.

METHODS

Ninety 11-12-year-old participants with externalizing disorders were included in the study (48 FH+, 42 FH-). We conducted independent component analyses (ICA) and seed-based analyses (orbitofrontal cortex; OFC, nucleus accumbens (NAcc), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) with resting state data.

RESULTS

FH+ adolescents showed stronger functional connectivity between the right lateral OFC seed and anterior cingulate cortex compared to FH- adolescents (p < 0.05, corrected). Compared to FH-, FH+ adolescents showed stronger negative functional connectivity between the left lateral OFC seed and right postcentral gyrus and between the left NAcc seed and right middle occipital gyrus (p < 0.05, corrected). Poorer emotion regulation was associated with more negative connectivity between right occipital/left NAcc among FH+ adolescents based on the seed-based analysis. FH- adolescents had stronger negative functional connectivity between ventral attention/salience networks and dorsal attention/visuospatial networks in the ICA.

CONCLUSIONS

Both analytic methods found group differences in functional connectivity between brain regions associated with executive functioning and regions associated with sensory input (e.g., postcentral gyrus, occipital regions). We speculate that families densely loaded for SUD may confer risk by altered neurocircuitry that is associated with emotion regulation and valuation of external stimuli beyond what would be explained by externalizing psychopathology alone.