Associations between transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology and brain structure and function in youth: What have we learned from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study?

Authors

Harry R Smolker

Published in

Developmental cognitive neuroscience. Volume 81. Pages 101778. Jul 09, 2026. Epub Jul 09, 2026.

Abstract

The onset of puberty and subsequent transition into adolescence is a formative period for long-term mental health outcomes, yet the neural bases of psychopathology symptom levels during this dynamic developmental stage remain unclear. With its large sample size, breadth of measures, and longitudinal scope, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study provides a unique opportunity to uncover the neural bases of psychopathology symptoms and related risk factors in youth. In this review, we survey studies testing for associations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures and transdiagnostic symptom dimensions within the ABCD dataset. Looking across studies utilizing ABCD data, we find converging evidence that at the transition into adolescence: 1) general psychopathology is stably associated with reduced total brain volume and surface area, as well as alterations in the functional connectivity of the default mode and dorsal attention networks and altered diffusivity of cortico-striatal tracts and tracts innervating the frontal lobe; 2) internalizing psychopathology is specifically associated with alterations in connectivity of the amygdala; 3) internalizing and externalizing symptoms are associated with alterations in fronto-striatal activation during tasks tapping working memory and reward processing; 4) cortical thickness shows relatively few cross-sectional associations with psychopathology symptoms but is associated with change in symptoms over time; and 5) MRI metrics have limited utility in predicting psychopathology symptom levels over and above typical clinical and demographic measures. In addition to highlighting evidence supporting these findings, we suggest important future directions for researchers to pursue within the ABCD dataset.

PMID:
42447608
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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