@article{8fcc7b2cf33449f5821f81028667f19c,
title = "Relationships between wellbeing polygenic scores, brain structure, and psychopathology in children",
abstract = "Wellbeing is shaped by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors and is associated with both health and functioning. It remains unclear whether genetic influences on wellbeing are linked to brain structure and, in turn, early-life psychopathology. Here, we investigated associations between wellbeing polygenic scores (PGS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived measures of brain structure, and parent-reported measures of child psychopathology in a large cross-sectional sample of children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (n = 8844; 8.9–11.0 years old). Preregistered analyses revealed no significant associations between wellbeing PGS and regional cortical thickness or subcortical volumes and only a small negative association with surface area of the parahippocampal cortex ({\ss} = -0.03, p = .002), while an exploratory analysis identified a small positive association with intracranial volume (ICV; {\ss} = 0.04, p < .001). Preregistered analyses showed small negative associations between wellbeing PGS and general psychopathology ({\ss} = -0.09, p < .001) and both internalizing ({\ss} = -0.09, p < .001) and externalizing problems ({\ss} = -0.07, p < .001). ICV partially mediated the relationships between wellbeing PGS and psychopathology, accounting for 1.3–3.3 % of these relationships. The findings suggest that while wellbeing PGS have limited associations with regional brain structure in children, they exhibit small protective effects against psychopathology.",
keywords = "ABCD study, Brain structure, Children, Intracranial volume, MRI, Polygenic scores, Psychopathology, Wellbeing",
author = "Tamnes, {Christian K.} and Andreas Dahl and {van der Meer}, Dennis and Ingrid Agartz and Dag Alnaes and Andreassen, {Ole A.} and Mills, {Kathryn L.} and Norbom, {Linn B.} and Genevi{\`e}ve Richard and Dahl, {Ronald E.} and Espen R{\o}ysamb and Westlye, {Lars T.} and Lia Ferschmann",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by The Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study (to CKT and RED), the Research Council of Norway (#223273, #288083, #323951, #324252, #324499), the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (#2019069, #2021070, #2023012, #500189), and Nordforsk (#164218). Funding Information: Data used in the preparation of this article were obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development SM (ABCD) Study ( https://abcdstudy.org ), held in the NIMH Data Archive (NDA). This is a multisite, longitudinal study designed to recruit >10,000 children age 9-10 and follow them over 10 years into early adulthood. The ABCD Study\u00AE is supported by the National Institutes of Health and additional federal partners under award numbers U01DA041048, U01DA050989, U01DA051016, U01DA041022, U01DA051018, U01DA051037, U01DA050987, U01DA041174, U01DA041106, U01DA041117, U01DA041028, U01DA041134, U01DA050988, U01DA051039, U01DA041156, U01DA041025, U01DA041120, U01DA051038, U01DA041148, U01DA041093, U01DA041089, U24DA041123, U24DA041147. A full list of supporters is available at https://abcdstudy.org/federal-partners.html . A listing of participating sites and a complete listing of the study investigators can be found at https://abcdstudy.org/consortium_members/ . ABCD consortium investigators designed and implemented the study and/or provided data but did not necessarily participate in the analysis or writing of this report. This manuscript reflects the views of the authors and may not reflect the opinions or views of the NIH or ABCD consortium investigators. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s)",
year = "2025",
month = nov,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.paid.2025.113313",
language = "English",
volume = "246",
journal = "Personality and Individual Differences",
issn = "0191-8869",
publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",
}