Testing the ecophenotype hypothesis: Differences in white matter microstructure in youth with conduct disorder with versus without a history of childhood abuse

Childhood maltreatment is a key risk factor for conduct disorder (CD), and the "ecophenotype hypothesis" suggests that maltreatment-related versus non-maltreatment-related CD are neurobiologically distinct. This may explain inconsistent findings in previous structural connectivity studies of CD. We tested this hypothesis by comparing youth with CD with (CD/+) versus without (CD/-) childhood physical or sexual abuse in white-matter microstructure. Diffusion tensor imaging data were collected from 100 CD and 169 control participants aged 9-18 years. Using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, we compared the CD and control groups in fractional anisotropy, and axial, radial and mean diffusivity, then compared the CD/+ (<i>n</i> = 39) and CD/- (<i>n</i> = 61) subgroups and controls. The combined CD group had higher fractional anisotropy in the corpus callosum than controls. When divided by abuse history, only the CD/- subgroup exhibited higher corpus callosum fractional anisotropy than controls; the CD/+ subgroup did not differ from controls. Comparing the CD subgroups, the CD/+ subgroup displayed higher superior longitudinal fasciculus axial diffusivity than the CD/- subgroup. Notably, sex-stratified analyses yielded different findings in all-male and all-female samples. Findings support the ecophenotype hypothesis, demonstrating microstructural differences between the CD/+ and CD/- subgroups and emphasizing the importance of considering abuse/maltreatment (and sex) in future studies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Development and Psychopathology
Published
2025-05-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579425000367
Primary Topic
Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Testing the ecophenotype hypothesis: Differences in white matter microstructure in youth with conduct disorder with versus without a history of childhood abuse

Christina Stadler, Esther Walton, Sophie Townend, Gregor Kohls et al.
Development and Psychopathology
Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
article

Testing the ecophenotype hypothesis: Differences in white matter microstructure in youth with conduct disorder with versus without a history of childhood abuse

Christina Stadler, Esther Walton, Sophie Townend, Gregor Kohls, Anka Bernhard, Christine M. Freitag, Kerstin Konrad, Marlene Staginnus, Anne Martinelli, Graeme F. Fairchild, Jack D. Rogers, Stéphane A. De Brito, Nora Maria Raschle, Areti Smaragdi
article en

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment is a key risk factor for conduct disorder (CD), and the "ecophenotype hypothesis" suggests that maltreatment-related versus non-maltreatment-related CD are neurobiologically distinct. This may explain inconsistent findings in previous structural connectivity studies of CD. We tested this hypothesis by comparing youth with CD with (CD/+) versus without (CD/-) childhood physical or sexual abuse in white-matter microstructure. Diffusion tensor imaging data were collected from 100 CD and 169 control participants aged 9-18 years. Using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, we compared the CD and control groups in fractional anisotropy, and axial, radial and mean diffusivity, then compared the CD/+ (<i>n</i> = 39) and CD/- (<i>n</i> = 61) subgroups and controls. The combined CD group had higher fractional anisotropy in the corpus callosum than controls. When divided by abuse history, only the CD/- subgroup exhibited higher corpus callosum fractional anisotropy than controls; the CD/+ subgroup did not differ from controls. Comparing the CD subgroups, the CD/+ subgroup displayed higher superior longitudinal fasciculus axial diffusivity than the CD/- subgroup. Notably, sex-stratified analyses yielded different findings in all-male and all-female samples. Findings support the ecophenotype hypothesis, demonstrating microstructural differences between the CD/+ and CD/- subgroups and emphasizing the importance of considering abuse/maltreatment (and sex) in future studies.

Development and PsychopathologyVol. 38(1)
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), Union Bank of Switzerland (CH), Goethe-Institute United Kingdom (GB), Toronto Public Health (CA), University of Basel (CH), University of Zurich (CH), ETH Zurich (CH), University Hospital Frankfurt (DE), Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (DE), Hochschule Fresenius (DE), University of Bath (GB), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), University of Birmingham (GB), RWTH Aachen University (DE)
National Science Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Universität Zürich, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Economic and Social Research Council
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 82%
Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
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