A Comparative Analysis of Cortical Thickness in Female Youth With Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

OBJECTIVE: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), prevalent among children and youth, is a risk factor for future suicidal behavior. Nonetheless, the neurobiological mechanisms of NSSI remain under-explored. This study compares the cortical thickness in female youth with NSSI and a healthy control (HC) group using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ascertains its associations with relevant factors. METHODS: The NSSI group comprised inpatients meeting NSSI diagnostic criteria according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, while the HC group included youth without psychiatric symptoms. Both groups included female adolescents and young adults aged 9-24 years. Clinical data were collected for the NSSI group, and brain MRIs were obtained for both groups. Cortical thickness differences between groups were explored, adjusting for age, and correlations between cortical thickness and clinical variables in the NSSI group were analyzed. RESULTS: Both groups included 32 participants, with no statistically significant difference in average age (NSSI group: mean age 15.47± 3.20 years; HC group: mean age 15.56±4.83 years; p>0.05). Significant intergroup differences in mean cortical thickness were observed in both the left and right hemispheres (both p=0.001). Specifically, the NSSI group exhibited significantly thinner cortical thickness in the right cingulate cortex compared to the healthy HC group (corrected p<0.05). However, correlation analysis between the cortical thickness of the right cingulate cortex and anxiety (State Anxiety Inventory for Children: r=-0.547, p=0.053) (Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children: r=-0.257, p=0.396) and Children's Depression Inventory (r=-0.231, p=0.447) scales in the NSSI group did not reveal statistically significant correlations. CONCLUSION: The study identified a noteworthy reduction in cortical thickness in the right cingulate cortex in the NSSI group.