Gerin MI, Viding E, Puetz VB, Armbruster-Genc DJ, Rankin G, McCrory EJ. Atypical Interpersonal Problem-Solving and Resting-state Functional Connectivity in Adolescents with Maltreatment Experience.
Curr Neuropharmacol 2024;
22:290-301. [PMID:
37818587 PMCID:
PMC10788892 DOI:
10.2174/1570159x22666231002145440]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Childhood maltreatment is associated with altered neurocognitive functioning, which is thought to reflect, in part, adaptation to early adverse environmental experiences. However, we continue to lack a precise mechanistic understanding linking atypical neurocognitive processing with social functioning and psychiatric outcomes following early adversity.
OBJECTIVE
The present work investigated interpersonal problem-solving, resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), and mental health symptoms in adolescents with documented maltreatment experience and explored whether altered neural function contributes in part to poorer social functioning.
METHODS
Forty adolescents (aged 12-17) with documented experiences of abuse or neglect and a carefully matched group of 42 non-maltreated peers participated in this study that measured task-based interpersonal problem-solving skills and rsFC.
RESULTS
Adolescents with maltreatment experience showed poorer interpersonal problem-solving performance, which partly accounted for their elevated mental health symptoms. Resting-state seed-based analyses revealed that adolescents with maltreatment experience showed a significant increase in rsFC between medial Default Mode Network (DMN) hubs, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), with a posterior cluster, including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), precuneus (PCu), retrosplenial cortex (RSC), and lingual gyrus (LG). Moderation analyses revealed that maltreatment-related increased DMN rsFC partly accounted for poorer performance in interpersonal problem-solving.
CONCLUSION
Poorer interpersonal problem-solving, partly accounted for by atypical coupling between DMN medial hubs, was associated with maltreatment exposure. Interventions tailored to enhance interpersonal problem-solving represents a promising avenue to promote resilience and reduce the likelihood of mental health disorder following maltreatment experience.
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