Brain structure of youth with conduct disorders shows widespread brain differences

Press release

Wednesday July 17, 2024

NIH-funded study of conduct disorder identifies brain regions associated with it, providing future directions for clinical research and practice.

Brain tracings show regions where there are significant differences in group sizes between children with conduct disorder and those without. Gao, Staginnus et al., The Lancet Psychiatry

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Neuroimaging studies of conduct disorder in youth have revealed significant changes in brain structure. The smallest area of the cerebral cortex, which controls many aspects of cognition, behavior, and emotion, is most pronounced. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health published the study in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Conduct disorder is the most common mental illness in young people. It remains understudied and undertreated. We are one step closer to developing better diagnostic and treatment approaches by understanding the brain differences that accompany the disorder. This will ultimately improve long-term outcomes for children and families, said Daniel Pine, MD, chief of developmental and affective neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health. The next step is to follow the children to see if the differences in brain structures observed in the study were the result of conduct disorder or were long-term consequences of it.

Researchers from 15 countries examined standardized MRI scans of young people aged 7 to 21 who participated in the studies. The analyses compared the surface area, thickness and volume of deep subcortical regions of the brain between 1,185 young people with conduct disorder and 1,253 without. Other analyses included comparing cortico-subcortical brain measurements between girls and boys, as well as the age at which symptoms began (childhood or adolescence) and empathy levels (higher or lower).

Two of the 34 regions showed significant differences in cortical thickening in youth with conduct disorder. The volume of several subcortical regions of the brain was also smaller in youth with conduct disorder, such as the amygdala and hippocampus, all three of which play important roles in regulating behaviors that are often difficult for people with the disorder. Some of these regions have been previously associated with conduct disorder, such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, but other areas were implicated in the former.

Boys and girls showed the same brain changes regardless of age and prosociality. The brains of youth who showed signs of more severe conduct disorder (low empathy, guilt, and remorse) showed the most changes.

The results of this large, diverse, and robust study of conduct disorder are consistent with growing evidence of a link between the disorder and brain structure. This study provides new evidence of brain changes that are more widespread than previously thought and include all four lobes as well as cortical/subcortical areas. The results provide new opportunities to study causal relationships between brain differences and conduct disorder symptoms and to target brain regions in clinical efforts for better diagnosis and treatment.

The study was co-led by Yidian Gao Ph.D. at the University of Birmingham and Marlene Staginnus Ph.D. at the University of Bath. It was carried out by an international team. Antisocial behavior: improving neuroimaging genetics through meta-analysis, ENIGMA working group . ENIGMA received funding through an inter-NIH alliance. Knowledge Centers of Excellence: Big Data and Knowledge.

Grants: EB020403

The National Institute of Mental Health: The mission of NIMH is to improve the treatment and understanding of mental illness through clinical and basic research. This will pave the way for recovery and prevention. Visit the website for more information. NIMH Website.

The National Institutes of Health: NIH is the medical research agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It includes 27 institutes and centers. NIH, the National Medical Research Agency, is one of the federal agencies that conducts and supports basic, translational, clinical, and other medical research. It also studies the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. Visit NIH for more information about its programs and services. www.nih.gov.

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