Building towards an adolescent neural urbanome: Expanding environmental measures using linked external data (LED) in the ABCD study

Sources and components of fine air pollution exposure and brain morphology in preadolescents

Air pollution is an emerging novel neurotoxicant during childhood and adolescence. However, little is known regarding how fine particulate matter (PM2.5) components and its sources impact brain morphology. We investigated air pollution exposure-related differences in brain morphology using cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging data from 10,095 children ages 9-11 years-old enrolled in the United States' Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study [2016-2018]. Air pollution estimates included fifteen PM2.5 constituent chemicals and metals, and six major sources of PM2.5 (e.g., crustal materials, biomass burning, traffic) identified from prior source apportionment, as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and neuroimaging covariates, we used partial least squares analyses to identify associations between simultaneous co-exposures and morphological differences in cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes. We found that greater exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 was associated with decreases in frontal and increases in inferior temporal surface area. PM2.5 component and source analyses linked cortical surface area and thickness to biomass burning (e.g., organic carbon, potassium), crustal material (e.g., calcium, silicon), and traffic (e.g., copper, iron) exposures, while smaller subcortical volumes were linked to greater potassium exposure. This is the first study to show differential effects of several air pollution sources on development of children's brains. Significant associations were found in brain structures involved in several cognitive and social processes, including lower- and higher-order sensory processing, socioemotional behaviors, and executive functioning. These findings highlight differential effects of several air pollution sources on brain structure in preadolescents across the U.S.

The Childhood Opportunity Index 2.0: Factor Structure in 9-10 Year Olds in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

The built physical and social environments are critical drivers of child neural and cognitive development. This study aimed to identify the factor structure and correlates of 29 environmental, education, and socioeconomic indicators of neighborhood resources as measured by the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 (COI 2.0) in a sample of youths aged 9-10 enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. This study used the baseline data of the ABCD Study (n = 9767, ages 9-10). We used structural equation modeling to investigate the factor structure of neighborhood variables (e.g., indicators of neighborhood quality including access to early child education, health insurance, walkability). We externally validated these factors with measures of psychopathology, impulsivity, and behavioral activation and inhibition. Exploratory factor analyses identified four factors: Neighborhood Enrichment, Socioeconomic Attainment, Child Education, and Poverty Level. Socioeconomic Attainment and Child Education were associated with overall reduced impulsivity and the behavioral activation system, whereas increased Poverty Level was associated with increased externalizing symptoms, an increased behavioral activation system, and increased aspects of impulsivity. Distinct dimensions of neighborhood opportunity were differentially associated with aspects of psychopathology, impulsivity, and behavioral approach, suggesting that neighborhood opportunity may have a unique impact on neurodevelopment and cognition. This study can help to inform future public health efforts and policy about improving built and natural environmental structures that may aid in supporting emotional development and downstream behaviors.

"The Brain is…": A Survey of the Brain's Many Definitions

A reader of the peer-reviewed neuroscience literature will often encounter expressions like the following: 'the brain is a dynamic system', 'the brain is a complex network', or 'the brain is a highly metabolic organ'. These expressions attempt to define the essential functions and properties of the mammalian or human brain in a simple phrase or sentence, sometimes using metaphors or analogies. We sought to survey the most common phrases of the form 'the brain is…' in the biomedical literature to provide insights into current conceptualizations of the brain. Utilizing text analytic tools applied to a large sample (> 4 million) of peer-reviewed full-text articles and abstracts, we extracted several thousand phrases of the form 'the brain is…' and identified over a dozen frequently appearing phrases. The most used phrases included metaphors (e.g., the brain as a 'information processor' or 'prediction machine') and descriptions of essential functions (e.g., 'a central organ of stress adaptation') or properties (e.g., 'a highly vascularized organ'). Comparison of these phrases with those involving other bodily organs (e.g. the heart, liver, etc.) highlighted common phrases between the brain and other organs, such as the heart as a 'complex, dynamic system'. However, the brain was unique among organs in the number and diversity of analogies ascribed to it. The results of our analysis underscore the diversity of qualities and functions attributed to the brain in the biomedical literature and suggest a range of conceptualizations that defy unification.

The connecting brain in context: How adolescent plasticity supports learning and development

Puberty initiates significant neurobiological changes that amplify adolescents' responsiveness to their environment, facilitating neural adaptation through processes like synaptic pruning, myelination, and neuronal reorganization. This heightened neuroplasticity, combined with their burgeoning social curiosity and appetite for risk, propels adolescents to explore diverse new environments and forge social bonds. Such exploration can accelerate experiential learning and the formation of social networks as adolescents prepare for adult independence. This review examines the complex interplay between adolescent neuroplasticity, environmental influences, and learning processes, synthesizing findings from recent studies that illustrate how factors such as social interactions, school environments, and neighborhood contexts influence both the transient activation and enduring organization of the developing brain. We advocate for incorporating social interaction into adolescent-tailored interventions, leveraging their social plasticity to optimize learning and development during this critical phase. Going forward, we discuss the importance of longitudinal studies that employ multimodal approaches to characterize the dynamic interactions between development and environment, highlighting recent advancements in quantifying environmental impacts in studies of developmental neuroscience. Ultimately, this paper provides an updated synopsis of adolescent neuroplasticity and the environment, underscoring the potential for environmental enrichment programs to support healthy brain development and resilience at this critical development stage.

Responsible research in health disparities using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) study

PURPOSE

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study is the largest longitudinal study on brain development and adolescent health in the United States. The study includes a sociodemographically diverse cohort of nearly 12,000 youth born 2005-2009, with an open science model of making data rapidly available to the scientific community. The ABCD Study® data has been used in over 1100 peer-reviewed publications since its first data release in 2018. The dataset contains a broad scope and comprehensive set of measures of youths' behavioral, health, and brain outcomes, as well as extensive contextual and environmental measures that map onto the social determinants of health (SDOH). Understanding the impact of SDOH on the developmental trajectories of youth will help to address early lifecourse health inequities that lead to disparities later in life. However, the open science model and extensive use of ABCD data highlight the need for guidance on appropriate, responsible, and equitable use of the data.

DESIGN METHODS

Our conceptual framework integrates the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework with strength-based and data equity perspectives. We use this framework to articulate best practices and methods for investigations that aim to identify the multilevel pathways by which structural and systemic inequities impact adolescent health trajectories.

RESULTS

Using our conceptual model, we provide recommendations for equitable health disparities research using ABCD Study data. We identify over fifty ABCD measures that can encompass SDOH across five levels of influence: individual, interpersonal, school, community, and societal. We expand the societal level to acknowledge structural discrimination as the root cause of systemic and structural inequities resulting in health disparities among marginalized youth. We apply the methodological recommendations in an example data analysis using a multi-level approach that integrates strength-based and data equity perspectives to elucidate pathways by which social and structural inequities may influence cognitive decision making in youth. We conclude with recommendations for strengthening the utility of ABCD data for health disparities research now and in the future.

CONCLUSION

Adolescence is a critical period of development with subsequent ramifications for health outcomes across the lifespan. Thus, understanding SDOH among diverse youth can inform prevention interventions before the emergence of health disparities in adulthood.

Responsible Use of Population Neuroscience Data in the ABCD: Towards Standards of Accountability and Integrity

This editorial focuses on the issue of data misuse that is increasingly evidenced in social media as well as some premiere scientific journals. This issue is of critical importance to open science projects in general, and ABCD in particular, given the broad array of biological, behavioural and environmental information collected on this American sample of 12,000 youth and parents. ABCD data are already widely used with over 1,200 publications and twice as many citations per year as expected (relative citation index based on year, field and journal). However, the adverse consequences of misuse of data and inaccurate interpretation of emergent findings from this precedent setting study may have a profound impact on disadvantaged populations and perpetuate biases and societal injustices.

Impact of Environmental Noise and Sleep Health on Pediatric Hypertension Incidence: ABCD Study

BACKGROUND

Pediatric hypertension is linked to environmental factors like neighborhood noise disrupting sleep, which is crucial for health. The specific interaction between noise and sleep health in causing hypertension still needs to be explored.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We analyzed data from 3320 participants of the ABCD (Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development) study, recruited across 21 US cities and monitored from 2018 to 2020 through 2020 to 2022. Participants with complete data on Fitbit-tracked sleep, blood pressure, height, neighborhood noise, and covariates (biological sex, race and ethnicity, pubertal stage, waist circumference) were included. Hypertension was defined as average blood pressure ≥95th percentile for age, sex, and height. Sleep health was categorized on the basis of daily duration: healthy (9-12 hours), moderately healthy (±1 hour from optimal), and low (≥1 hour deviation). Noise exposure was measured as median nighttime anthropogenic noise levels by zip code. The incidence of hypertension increased from 1.7% (95% CI, 1.4-2.1) in 2018 to 2020 to 2.9% (95% CI, 2.4-3.6) in 2020 to 2022. Adolescents with healthier sleep had a lower risk of developing hypertension (relative risk, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.25-0.82]), while no significant effects were found for neighborhood noise alone or in combination with sleep health.

CONCLUSIONS

Adequate sleep significantly reduces the risk of hypertension in adolescents, independent of environmental noise exposure. These findings underscore the importance of promoting good sleep hygiene among youth to mitigate hypertension risk.

Neighborhood Greenspace, Extreme Heat Exposure, and Sleep Quality over Time among a Nationally Representative Sample of American Children

Children's sleep is essential for healthy development, yet over a third of children in the United States experience inadequate sleep. Environmental factors can influence sleep: greenspace exposure can promote better sleep, while heat exposure can disrupt sleep. As global climate change raises nighttime and daytime temperatures, greenspace may mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on sleep. We examined the direct effects of neighborhood greenspace and extreme heat exposure on sleep and the statistical interaction between greenspace and heat exposure on sleep outcomes among a nationally representative, four-year longitudinal sample of 8580 U.S. children ages 9-10 years at baseline. Hierarchical linear models incorporated a neighborhood greenspace measure: percent open park space within individual child census tracts, a measure of extreme neighborhood heat exposure during the summer months, and extensive individual and neighborhood-level covariates to test main and interaction effects on child sleep quality. Neighborhood open park space was related to better sleep quality, after controlling for covariates. Additionally, neighborhood extreme heat exposure was associated with worse sleep quality. A two-way interaction was found between neighborhood open park space and neighborhood heat exposure on sleep quality, suggesting open park space mitigated the negative effects of heat on sleep. The results indicate the potential contribution of open greenspace to improve child sleep and enhance resilience to extreme heat, which is an adverse outcome of climate change.

Negligence in biomedical research: an anti-racist approach for substance use researchers

Racism is embedded in the fabric of society at structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal levels, working as a mechanism that drives health disparities. In particular, stigmatized views of substance use get entangled with racialization, serving as a tool to uphold oppressive systems. While national health institutions have made commitments to dismantle these systems in the United States, anti-racism has not been integrated into biomedical research practice. The ways in which substance use researchers use and interpret race data-without engaging in structural racism as a mechanism of health inequity-can only be described as inadequate. Drawing upon concepts from the Public Health Critical Race praxis, QuantCrit, and an anti-racism research framework, we recommend a set of guidelines to help biomedical researchers conceptualize and engage with race more responsibly in substance use research.

Recommendations for the responsible use and communication of race and ethnicity in neuroimaging research

The growing availability of large-population human biomedical datasets provides researchers with unique opportunities to conduct rigorous and impactful studies on brain and behavioral development, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of neurodevelopment in diverse populations. However, the patterns observed in these datasets are more likely to be influenced by upstream structural inequities (that is, structural racism), which can lead to health disparities based on race, ethnicity and social class. This paper addresses the need for guidance and self-reflection in biomedical research on conceptualizing, contextualizing and communicating issues related to race and ethnicity. We provide recommendations as a starting point for researchers to rethink race and ethnicity choices in study design, model specification, statistical analysis and communication of results, implement practices to avoid the further stigmatization of historically minoritized groups, and engage in research practices that counteract existing harmful biases.