A stable and replicable neural signature of lifespan adversity in the adult brain

Nathalie E. Holz*, Mariam Zabihi, Seyed Mostafa Kia, Maximillian Monninger, Pascal M. Aggensteiner, Sebastian Siehl, Dorothea L. Floris, Arun L.W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivières, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Rüdiger Brühl, Jean Luc Martinot, Marie Laure Paillère Martinot, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomáš Paus, Luise PoustkaJuliane H. Fröhner, Michael N. Smolka, Nilakshi Vaidya, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Daniel Brandeis, Jan K. Buitelaar, Frauke Nees, Christian Beckmann, Jean Luc Martinot, Marie Laure Paillère Martinot, Juliane H. Fröhner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Tobias Banaschewski, Andre F. Marquand*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Environmental adversities constitute potent risk factors for psychiatric disorders. Evidence suggests the brain adapts to adversity, possibly in an adversity-type and region-specific manner. However, the long-term effects of adversity on brain structure and the association of individual neurobiological heterogeneity with behavior have yet to be elucidated. Here we estimated normative models of structural brain development based on a lifespan adversity profile in a longitudinal at-risk cohort aged 25 years (n = 169). This revealed widespread morphometric changes in the brain, with partially adversity-specific features. This pattern was replicated at the age of 33 years (n = 114) and in an independent sample at 22 years (n = 115). At the individual level, greater volume contractions relative to the model were predictive of future anxiety. We show a stable neurobiological signature of adversity that persists into adulthood and emphasize the importance of considering individual-level rather than group-level predictions to explain emerging psychopathology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1603-1612
Number of pages10
JournalNature Neuroscience
Volume26
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023

Keywords

  • environmental adversities
  • psychiatric disorders
  • adult brain
  • lifetime adversity

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