Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence

Amanda Boyes; Larisa McLoughlin; Hannah Anderson; Paul Schwenn; Zack Shan; J M Gatt; Jim Lagopoulos; Daniel Hermens

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147710

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Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence

Amanda Boyes, Larisa McLoughlin, Hannah Anderson, Paul Schwenn, Zack Shan, J M Gatt, Jim Lagopoulos and Daniel Hermens

Brain Research, Vol.1774, pp.1-9

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147710

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147710View

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Abstract

Mental health

adolescence

Basal ganglia

grey matter volume

neuroimaging

wellbeing

Youth mental health

Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study

Thompson Institute Special Collection

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

It has been suggested that biological markers that define mental health are different to those that define mental illness. The basal ganglia changes dramatically over adolescence and has been linked to wellbeing and mental health disorders in young people. However, there remains a paucity of research on wellbeing and brain structure in early adolescence. This cross-sectional study examined relationships between grey matter volume (GMV) of basal ganglia regions (caudate, putamen, pallidum and nucleus accumbens) and self-reported wellbeing (COMPAS-W), in a sample of Australian adolescents aged 12 years (N = 49, M = 12.6, 46.9% female). Significant negative associations were found between left hemisphere caudate GMV and scores on 'total wellbeing', 'composure' and 'positivity'. The results of this study indicate that smaller caudate GMV at age 12 is linked to increased subjective wellbeing. While seemingly counter-intuitive, our finding is consistent with previous research of decreased GMV in the pons and increased COMPAS-W scores in adults. Our results suggest that protective neurobiological factors may be identifiable early in adolescence and be linked to specific types of wellbeing (such as positive affect and optimism). This has implications for interventions targeted at building resilience against mental health disorders in young people.

Details

Title: Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence
Authors: Amanda Boyes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Larisa McLoughlin (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Hannah Anderson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Paul Schwenn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Zack Shan (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
J M Gatt (Author) - UNSW Australia
Jim Lagopoulos (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Daniel Hermens (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Publication details: Brain Research, Vol.1774, pp.1-9
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147710
ISSN: 1872-6240
Organisation Unit: Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99586008402621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Neurosciences

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