Elevated circulating soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sCD25) level is associated with prefrontal excitatory-inhibitory imbalance in individuals with chronic pain: A proton MRS study.

Aberrant neuronal excitability in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in cognitive and affective pain processing. Such excitability may be amplified by activated circulating immune cells, including T lymphocytes, that interact with the central nervous system. Here, we conducted a study of individuals with chronic pain using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate the clinical evidence for the interaction between peripheral immune activation and prefrontal excitatory-inhibitory imbalance. In thirty individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, we assessed markers of peripheral immune activation, including soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain (sCD25) levels, as well as brain metabolites, including Glx (glutamate + glutamine) to GABA+ (γ-aminobutyric acid + macromolecules/homocarnosine) ratio in the ACC. We found that the circulating level of sCD25 was associated with prefrontal Glx/GABA+. Greater prefrontal Glx/GABA+ was associated with higher pain catastrophizing, evaluative pain ratings, and anxiodepressive symptoms. Further, the interaction effect of sCD25 and prefrontal Glx/GABA+ on pain catastrophizing was significant, indicating the joint association of these two markers with pain catastrophizing. Our results provide the first evidence suggesting that peripheral T cellular activation, as reflected by elevated circulating sCD25 levels, may be linked to prefrontal excitatory-inhibitory imbalance in individuals with chronic pain. The interaction between these two systems may play a role as a potential mechanism underlying pain catastrophizing. Further prospective and treatment studies are needed to elucidate the specific role of the immune and brain interaction in pain catastrophizing.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Behavior and Sleep Among 9- and 10-Year Old Children: Initial Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

There has been concern about the potential sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children. This study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) study to investigate associations between mTBI and behavior and sleep in school-aged children. Generalized additive mixed models were run to examine the association between TBI and parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist and Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children scores. mTBI with or without loss of consciousness (LOC) in 9- and 10-year old children was associated with 1) higher internalizing, externalizing and total problems and 2) greater sleep disturbance scores on the CBCL. The study also demonstrated a higher incidence of mTBI with and without LOC in boys compared to girls. This study shows a statistically significant but modest association between mTBI and behavioral and sleep changes, suggesting that in a non-clinical, sociodemographically diverse community sample of school-aged children mTBI does not result in clinically significant behavioral or psychological sequelae.

Early adolescent gender diversity and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study.

BACKGROUND: There are known associations between mental health symptoms and transgender identity among adults. Whether this relationship extends to early adolescents and to gender domains other than identity is unclear. This study measured dimensions of gender in a large, diverse, sample of youth, and examined associations between diverse gender experiences and mental health. METHODS: The ABCD study is an ongoing, longitudinal, US cohort study. Baseline data (release 2.0) include 11,873 youth age 9/10 (48% female); and the 4,951 1-year follow-up visits (age 10/11; 48% female) completed prior to data release. A novel gender survey at the 1-year visit assessed felt-gender, gender noncontentedness, and gender nonconformity using a 5-point scale. Mental health measures included youth- and parent-reports. RESULTS: Roughly half a percent of 9/10-year-olds (n = 58) responded 'yes' or 'maybe' when asked, 'Are you transgender' at baseline. Recurrent thoughts of death were more prevalent among these youth compared to the rest of the cohort (19.6% vs. 6.4%, χ2  = 16.0, p < .001). At the 1-year visit, when asked about the three dimensions of gender on a 5-point scale, 33.2% (n = 1,605) provided responses that were not exclusively and totally aligned with one gender. Significant relationships were observed between mental health symptoms and gender diversity for all dimensions assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to adult studies, early adolescents identifying as transgender reported increased mental health symptoms. Results also point to considerable diversity in other dimensions of gender (felt-gender, gender noncontentedness, gender nonconformity) among 10/11-year-olds, and find this diversity to be related to critical mental health symptoms. These findings add to our limited understanding of the relationship between dimensions of gender and wellness for youth.

Increased myoinositol in the anterior cingulate cortex of veterans with a history of traumatic brain injury: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most prevalent forms of morbidity in veterans and service members, with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) being the most common. The diagnosis of mTBI in veterans is difficult because of mixed etiologies and high comorbidity with other disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance use. Advanced neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may be useful in identifying neurochemical alterations in TBI, which may aid the development of new targets for therapeutic intervention. Veterans with (n = 53) and without a history of TBI (n = 26) underwent single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) at 3 Tesla in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using a two-dimensional J-resolved point spectroscopy sequence in addition to completing a clinical battery. TBI diagnosis was made using the research version of the Ohio State University TBI Identification Method. An increased myoinositol (mI)/H2O ratio was observed in the ACC of the TBI group compared with the non-TBI group during the chronic stage of TBI (average of 139.7 mo after injury), which may be reflective of astrogliosis. Several metabolites in the ACC demonstrated significant associations with TBI variables, including number of TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) and time since most severe TBI, suggesting that changes in some metabolites may be potential diagnostic and prognostic indicators.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study of veterans, we used a state-of-the-art neuroimaging tool to probe the neurometabolic profile of the anterior cingulate cortex in veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We report significantly elevated myoinositol levels in veterans with TBI compared with those without TBI.

Suicide Behavior and Chronic Pain: An Exploration of Pain-Related Catastrophic Thinking, Disability, and Descriptions of the Pain Experience.

This study examined differences in suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs) among veterans with chronic pain. Pain-specific variables, including catastrophic thinking, disability, and sensory, affective, and evaluative pain descriptors, were a focus. Structured diagnostic and clinical interviews were conducted to examine SI/SA and mental health. Veterans completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to assess Axis I symptoms and suicidal behavior(s). Self-report questionnaires were used to evaluate the participants' subjective experience of chronic pain, which included the McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Pain Disability Index. The findings add to previous literature by suggesting pain-related catastrophic thinking specifically is related to elevated risk for SA, whereas affective and sensory pain are associated with SI. The study results support the need to assess pain from a multifaceted perspective and to examine the different experiences of pain, such as sensory and affective constructs, when discussing suicide risk in veterans.

Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in Methamphetamine Dependence.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the initial psychometric properties of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) in individuals with and without major depressive disorder who use methamphetamine. We used data from two completed studies and two ongoing clinical trials. The HAM-D has well established reliability and validity in a variety of populations. However, there are no published reports of reliability and validity of the HAM-D in a methamphetamine-using population. METHODS: HAM-D and depression status data were extracted from four separate studies for this psychometric assessment. Using these data, we evaluated three measures of construct validity: internal consistency, contrasted group validity, and factorial validity. RESULTS: We found potential concerns with the construct validity of the HAM-D in users of methamphetamine. Intercorrelations between items were primarily less than 0.20 and the Cronbach's alpha value in this sample was 0.58, indicating potential issues with internal consistency. The results of two-sample t-tests suggest concerns with contrasted group validity, as no significant difference in average scores were found for nine items. Consistent with previous studies, a principal component analysis indicates that the HAM-D is multidimensional. CONCLUSIONS: The 17-item HAM-D might not reliably and validly measure depression severity in a methamphetamine-using population. Given our small sample, additional research is needed, though, to further test the psychometric properties of the HAM-D in individuals who use methamphetamine.

Male suspected suicide decedents in Utah: A comparison of Veterans and nonveterans.

UNLABELLED: There has been significant debate regarding suicide risk in Veterans compared to nonveterans. However, few studies have examined similarities and differences between Veteran and nonveteran suicide decedents using a combination of next of kin psychological autopsy and data from a state Office of the Medical Examiner (OME). For the current study, next of kin of a one-year cohort of male suspected suicide decedents in Utah completed psychological autopsy interviews with trained research staff. Next of kin of 70 Veterans and 356 nonveterans completed the interviews, which included demographic, behavioral, psychosocial, and clinical variables. The psychological autopsy data then were combined with OME data for the presented analyses. Results showed that Veteran and nonveteran suicide decedents differed on multiple factors, including age at death. Specifically, male nonveteran suicide decedents were younger at age of death compared to Utah Veterans and to a national sample. Veteran decedents also were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts and more likely to have access to firearms compared to nonveterans. Other between-group differences, including Veterans being more likely to have lived alone and method of death (e.g., gunshot, hanging, etc.), were no longer statistically significant after adjustment for age at death. CONCLUSIONS: these findings have significant clinical and practical importance, as they highlight the risk for suicide in younger nonveterans and older Veterans in Utah.

Gender differences in the effect of tobacco use on brain phosphocreatine levels in methamphetamine-dependent subjects.

BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of tobacco smoking has been observed in methamphetamine users, but there have been no in vivo brain neurochemistry studies addressing gender effects of tobacco smoking in methamphetamine users. Methamphetamine addiction is associated with increased risk of depression and anxiety in females. There is increasing evidence that selective analogues of nicotine, a principal active component of tobacco smoking, may ease depression and improve cognitive performance in animals and humans. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of tobacco smoking and gender on brain phosphocreatine (PCr) levels, a marker of brain energy metabolism reported to be reduced in methamphetamine-dependent subjects. METHODS: Thirty female and 27 male methamphetamine-dependent subjects were evaluated with phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P-MRS) to measure PCr levels within the pregenual anterior cingulate, which has been implicated in methamphetamine neurotoxicity. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance revealed that there were statistically significant slope (PCr versus lifetime amount of tobacco smoking) differences between female and male methamphetamine-dependent subjects (p = 0.03). In females, there was also a statistically significant interaction between lifetime amounts of tobacco smoking and methamphetamine in regard to PCr levels (p = 0.01), which suggests that tobacco smoking may have a more significant positive impact on brain PCr levels in heavy, as opposed to light to moderate, methamphetamine-dependent females. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that tobacco smoking has gender-specific effects in terms of increased anterior cingulate high energy PCr levels in methamphetamine-dependent subjects. Cigarette smoking in methamphetamine-dependent women, particularly those with heavy methamphetamine use, may have a potentially protective effect upon neuronal metabolism.

A Literature Review of Mental Health Symptom Outcomes in U.S. Veterans and Servicemembers Following Combat Exposure and Military Sexual Trauma.

Combat exposure (CE) and military sexual trauma (MST) are among the most common types of traumatic experiences faced by veterans and active duty servicemembers and, as such, have both garnered increased research focus over the past decades. However, there has not yet been a critical review of the literature to examine the distinct clinical presentations associated with different trauma types. This is particularly important, as understanding distinct clinical profiles could help researchers and clinicians refine treatment approaches based on trauma type. To address this question, we conducted a search of the available literature in PsycINFO and PubMed prior to October 2022. We identified 43 articles evaluating the distinct and overlapping clinical symptoms of CE and MST. Study findings were conceptually organized by psychiatric condition. In general, there was substantial variability in study methodology including sample size, composition, and operationalizations of CE and MST. Despite this variability, notable patterns emerged across studies. Specifically, MST and CE uniquely predicted posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, MST was more related to depressive symptoms and suicidality than CE, and CE appeared to be more related to alcohol use and other externalizing behaviors. Gender also played a significant role in the relationship between CE, MST, and clinical variables across studies. This review suggests that individuals with a history of MST and CE likely have distinct clinical presentations and more research into these presentations could better inform assessment and treatment. Important methodological gaps in the literature are also discussed.

Creatine concentration in the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with greater stress recovery from traumatic events: Preliminary evidence from a US Veteran sample.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by a prolonged stress response to potentially life-threatening events long after the event has passed. Understanding factors related to recovery from traumatic life events may inform novel targets for intervention. There is emerging preclinical evidence that creatine (Cr), a molecule critical to brain bioenergetics, may be a neurobiological marker of stress reactivity and recovery. METHOD: 25 US Veterans (8 female) completed the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, which assessed different types of traumatic events. Veterans were also asked to rate the subjective stress of each traumatic event on a 1-10 scale currently (Current Stress) and at the time the event occurred (Past Stress). Stress recovery was quantified as the difference between Current and Past Stress. Current PTSD symptoms were also assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Cr concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were measured in the anterior cingulate cortex using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). RESULTS: Higher levels of Cr were associated with self-reported stress recovery from participants' most traumatic life event. Cr was not related to number of different types of traumatic life events or current PTSD symptoms. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was relatively small. Stress recovery was measured via retrospective self-report. Future experimental work in humans should clarify the protective role of Cr in recovery from trauma. CONCLUSIONS: ACC concentrations of Cr may be an important neurochemical factor related to stress recovery. Future work should investigate Cr as a possible protective factor against the effects of traumatic stress.

Overweight/Obesity-related microstructural alterations of the fimbria-fornix in the ABCD study: The role of aerobic physical activity.

Childhood overweight/obesity has been associated with negative consequences related to brain function and may involve alterations in white matter pathways important for cognitive and emotional processing. Aerobic physical activity is a promising lifestyle factor that could restore white matter alterations. However, little is known about either regional white matter alterations in children with overweight/obesity or the effects of aerobic physical activity targeting the obesity-related brain alterations in children. Using a large-scale cross-sectional population-based dataset of US children aged 9 to 10 years (n = 8019), this study explored the associations between overweight/obesity and microstructure of limbic white matter tracts, and examined whether aerobic physical activity may reduce the overweight/obesity-related white matter alterations in children. The primary outcome measure was restriction spectrum imaging (RSI)-derived white matter microstructural integrity measures. The number of days in a week that children engaged in aerobic physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day was assessed. We found that females with overweight/obesity had lower measures of integrity of the fimbria-fornix, a major limbic-hippocampal white matter tract, than their lean peers, while this difference was not significant in males. We also found a positive relationship between the number of days of aerobic physical activity completed in a week and integrity measures of the fimbria-fornix in females with overweight/obesity. Our results provide cross-sectional evidence of sex-specific microstructural alteration in the fimbria-fornix in children with overweight/obesity and suggest that aerobic physical activity may play a role in reducing this alteration. Future work should examine the causal direction of the relationship between childhood overweight/obesity and brain alterations and evaluate potential interventions to validate the effects of aerobic physical activity on this relationship.

The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in depression across the female reproductive lifecycle: current knowledge and future directions.

The aim of this narrative review is to consolidate knowledge on the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression pathophysiology at different reproductive stages across the female lifespan. Despite growing evidence about the impact of gonadal hormones on mood disorders, no previous review has examined the interaction between such hormonal changes and the HPA axis within the context of depressive disorders in women. We will focus on HPA axis function in depressive disorders at different reproductive stages including the menstrual cycle (e.g., premenstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD]), perinatally (e.g., postpartum depression), and in perimenopausal depression. Each of these reproductive stages is characterized by vast physiological changes and presents major neuroendocrine reorganization. The HPA axis is one of the main targets of such functional alterations, and with its key role in stress response, it is an etiological factor in vulnerable windows for depression across the female lifespan. We begin with an overview of the HPA axis and a brief summary of techniques for measuring HPA axis parameters. We then describe the hormonal milieu of each of these key reproductive stages, and integrate information about HPA axis function in depression across these reproductive stages, describing similarities and differences. The role of a history of stress and trauma exposure as a contributor to female depression in the context of HPA axis involvement across the reproductive stages is also presented. This review advances the pursuit of understanding common biological mechanisms across depressive disorders among women. Our overarching goal is to identify unmet needs in characterizing stress-related markers of depression in women in the context of hormonal changes across the lifespan, and to support future research in women's mental health as it pertains to pathophysiology, early diagnosis, and treatment targets.

Cortico-cerebellar abnormalities in adolescents with heavy marijuana use.

There are currently no studies that have evaluated the motor network, including the cerebellum, in adolescent marijuana (MJ) smokers. The current study aimed to evaluate whether there were activation differences in Brodmann's area 4 (BA4), Brodmann's area 6 (BA6), cingulate (CG) and cerebellum between MJ-using adolescents and healthy controls (HC) on a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) bilateral finger-tapping task. Twenty-four adolescents (aged 18.2 ± 0.7 years) with heavy MJ use and 24 HC (18.0 ± 1.9) had MRI scans on a 3T Siemens scanner, including a standard bilateral fMRI finger-tapping sequence. Imaging data were analyzed using SPM5 in Matlab. As regions of interest, BA4, BA6, cingulate (CG) and cerebellum were selected, and significant clusters of activity were thresholded at p<0.05, corrected. Healthy controls had significantly greater activation than MJ users for the CG and cerebellum. In addition, activation of the cerebellum and CG correlated with lifetime MJ smokes. This is one of the first studies to evaluate cortico-cerebellar circuits in adolescents with heavy MJ use. The study, which used a bilateral finger-tapping fMRI task, provides evidence for both CG and cerebellar dysfunction in MJ abuse and indicates that lifetime MJ use may impact the developing brain.

Examination of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate-glutamine levels in association with impulsive behavior in adolescent marijuana users.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent marijuana (MJ) use has been associated with alterations in brain structure and function as well as behavior. Examination of neurochemical correlates such as GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and Glx (glutamate + glutamine) in MJ users remains limited. Impulsivity, identified as a risk factor and consequence of MJ use, has been associated with GABA and Glx levels in healthy and clinical populations. However, this relationship has not been investigated in MJ users. In this study, we examined levels of GABA and Glx in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its relationship with impulsive behavior in MJ-using adolescents and healthy controls. METHODS: Healthy control subjects (HC; N = 21) and MJ-using adolescents (N = 18) completed a metabolite-edited 1H MRS exam to measure ACC GABA and Glx levels, a structured clinical interview to assess MJ use, and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11) to evaluate impulsive behavior. RESULTS: Adolescent MJ users had significantly lower tissue-corrected GABA (with macromolecules; GABA+) levels (p = 0.029) compared to HC's. No significant between-group differences were observed in ACC Glx levels. Assessment of impulsive behavior demonstrated no significant between-group differences in motor, non-planning, attention, and total impulsivity scores. Additionally, impulsivity measures and tissue-corrected GABA+ or Glx levels were not significantly correlated in either group. CONCLUSION: Lower GABA levels in MJ users may indicate alterations in excitatory-inhibitory mechanisms critical for neurodevelopment. Although no significant relationships were observed between impulsive measures and GABA or Glx levels in both groups, further investigations are needed examining the relationship between neurochemical correlates, behavior, and adolescent MJ use.

Suicide Ideation and Neurocognition Among 9- and 10-Year Old Children in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

OBJECTIVE: During the past decade, the pediatric suicide rate has nearly tripled. Yet, little is known about suicide behavior (SB) in children. Identification of risk factors associated with SB during childhood may be critical to preventing future attempts. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neurocognitive performance and suicide ideation (SI) in children. METHOD: The present study utilized baseline data from 11,875 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a longitudinal study that follows 9- and 10-year-old children through late adolescence to examine factors that influence developmental trajectories. Suicidality was assessed by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia (KSADS) suicide module completed by the parent. Neurocognitive ability was assessed using the NIH Toolbox Cognition measures administered to the youth. RESULTS: Children with a history of SI reported by their parent or concordant parent and youth report of SI demonstrated lower performance on the NIH Toolbox Picture Sequence Memory Test compared to children without SI. The difference in performance on the memory task remained significant when including demographic characteristics, family history of suicide, and internalizing symptoms in the model as covariates. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify decreased episodic memory in children with SI. These findings are similar to results from adult and adolescent studies which have reported decreased memory performance among suicide attempters. Deficits in episodic memory may impact a child's ability to problem-solve and generate potential future outcomes, which may increase the risk for SB. Early identification of memory deficits in children may inform suicide prevention and intervention efforts.Highlights6% of parents and children reported a history of active suicide ideation in children.Children with a history of suicide ideation had lower episodic memory performance.Early identification of memory deficits may inform suicide intervention efforts.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in individuals with internet gaming.

Background: Various comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have been reported in individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD). Prior research has shown alterations in brain metabolites, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), and combined glutamate and glutamine in patients with ADHD that were similar to those observed in patients with IGD. We hypothesized that the decreased NAA levels in the IGD group would be associated with a history of ADHD. Methods: Forty adults participated in this study. Participants were classified as having a high risk for IGD if they had a total score higher than 21 on the IGD Scale-short form. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were acquired using a 3 Tesla Siemens Prisma scanner system. Results: Levels of NAA within the right prefrontal cortex were lower in the IGD group than those observed in the control group. In a multiple linear regression analysis, internet addiction test scores and history of ADHD were shown to predict increased game play. In addition, history of ADHD predicted lower levels of NAA within the right prefrontal cortex. Conclusion: The preliminary results of current study suggest a mediating effect of ADHD on the severity of internet game play as well as the levels of NAA within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The inclusion of ADHD in IGD research is important and deserving of further consideration.

Boldness moderates cognitive performance under acute threat: Evidence from a task-switching paradigm involving cueing for shock.

Understanding factors that influence behavioral performance in high-pressure contexts is relevant to critical occupations such as first responders, military personnel, and frontline medical workers. A recent study by Yancey et al. (2019) demonstrated an association between boldness, a biobehavioral trait reflecting social dominance and fearlessness, and enhanced task-switching performance during threat of shock relative to a no-shock (safe) condition. This study used a sustained threat manipulation in which cues signaling possible shock were present throughout blocks of multiple task trials. Here, we extended this work by evaluating the relationship between boldness and task-switching performance under acute threat of shock conditions, in which cues signaling possible shock occurred during individual task trials, intermingled with safe trials. Participants (N = 79) completed a task-switching procedure involving acute threat of shock in which unwarned noise probes were presented to elicit blink-startle responses. Boldness was associated with better switching performance under threat versus safe conditions, with high-bold participants who exhibited low startle potentiation during threat showing the best performance. These findings provide additional evidence that dispositional boldness is a meaningful individual difference characteristic related to effective performance in high-pressure situations and have implications for personnel selection and assignment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Measurement of gender and sexuality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) study is a longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and health that includes over 11,800 youth in the United States. The ABCD study includes broad developmental domains, and gender and sexuality are two of these with noted changes across late childhood and early adolescence. The Gender Identity and Sexual Health (GISH) workgroup recommends measures of gender and sexuality for the ABCD study, prioritizing those that are developmentally sensitive, capture individual differences in the experience of gender and sexuality, and minimize participant burden. This manuscript describes the gender and sexuality measures used in ABCD and provides guidance for researchers using these data. Data showing the utility of these measures and longitudinal trends are presented. Including assessment of gender and sexuality in ABCD allows for characterization of developmental trajectories of gender and sexuality, and the broad scope of ABCD data collection allows examination of identity development in an intersectional manner.

The Emotional Word-Emotional Face Stroop task in the ABCD study: Psychometric validation and associations with measures of cognition and psychopathology.

Characterizing the interactions among attention, cognitive control, and emotion during adolescence may provide important insights into why this critical developmental period coincides with a dramatic increase in risk for psychopathology. However, it has proven challenging to develop a single neurobehavioral task that simultaneously engages and differentially measures these diverse domains. In the current study, we describe properties of performance on the Emotional Word-Emotional Face Stroop (EWEFS) task in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a task that allows researchers to concurrently measure processing speed/attentional vigilance (i.e., performance on congruent trials), inhibitory control (i.e., Stroop interference effect), and emotional information processing (i.e., difference in performance on trials with happy as compared to angry distracting faces). We first demonstrate that the task manipulations worked as designed and that Stroop performance is associated with multiple cognitive constructs derived from different measures at a prior time point. We then show that Stroop metrics tapping these three domains are preferentially associated with aspects of externalizing psychopathology and inattention. These results highlight the potential of the EWEFS task to help elucidate the longitudinal dynamics of attention, inhibitory control, and emotion across adolescent development, dynamics which may be altered by level of psychopathology.

Age-related changes and longitudinal stability of individual differences in ABCD Neurocognition measures.

Temporal stability of individual differences is an important prerequisite for accurate tracking of prospective relationships between neurocognition and real-world behavioral outcomes such as substance abuse and psychopathology. Here we report age-related changes and longitudinal test-retest stability (TRS) for the Neurocognition battery of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included the NIH Toolbox (TB) Cognitive Domain and additional memory and visuospatial processing tests administered at baseline (ages 9-11) and two-year follow-up. As expected, performance improved significantly with age, but the effect size varied broadly, with Pattern Comparison and the Crystallized Cognition Composite showing the largest age-related gain (Cohen's d:.99 and.97, respectively). TRS ranged from fair (Flanker test: r = 0.44) to excellent (Crystallized Cognition Composite: r = 0.82). A comparison of longitudinal changes and cross-sectional age-related differences within baseline and follow-up assessments suggested that, for some measures, longitudinal changes may be confounded by practice effects and differences in task stimuli or procedure between baseline and follow-up. In conclusion, a subset of measures showed good stability of individual differences despite significant age-related changes, warranting their use as prospective predictors. However, caution is needed in the interpretation of observed longitudinal changes as indicators of neurocognitive development.