Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Research Publications

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Author: Allen, Nicholas × Author: Schwartz, Orli × End date: 2023 × Start date: 2020 × Type: Journal Article ×

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    Development of morning-eveningness in adolescence: implications for brain development and psychopathology
    Cooper, R ; Di Biase, MA ; Bei, B ; Allen, NB ; Schwartz, O ; Whittle, S ; Cropley, V (WILEY, 2023-03)
    BACKGROUND: Morning-evening preference is defined as an individual's preference for a morning- or evening-oriented rhythm. Across adolescence, a preference for eveningness becomes more predominant. Although eveningness is cross-sectionally associated with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, few studies have examined developmental changes in eveningness and its potential biological substrates. Here, we investigated the longitudinal relationships among the trajectory of eveningness preference, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and white matter development, across adolescence. METHODS: Two-hundred and nine adolescents (49% male) were assessed longitudinally at four separate time points between 12 and 19 years of age. Morning-evening preference and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed at each time point. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired on a subset of participants at the final two time points to estimate changes in global mean fractional anisotropy (FA). Linear mixed models were performed to estimate the change in eveningness over time. A series of linear regression models assessed the influence of change in eveningness on psychopathology and white matter development at age 19. RESULTS: Across the sample, a preference for eveningness became more predominant by 19 years of age. Greater individual-level change towards eveningness significantly predicted greater severity in externalizing, but not internalizing, symptoms at 19 years of age. In contrast, change in psychopathology from 12 to 19 years of age was not associated with morning-eveningness at age 19. A change towards eveningness predicted an attenuated increase in FA between 17 and 19 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that developmental changes in morning-evening preference may predict both neurodevelopmental and psychological outcomes in adolescents.
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    Harsh and Inconsistent Parental Discipline Is Associated With Altered Cortical Development in Children
    Whittle, S ; Pozzi, E ; Rakesh, D ; Kim, JM ; Yap, MBH ; Schwartz, OS ; Youssef, G ; Allen, NB ; Vijayakumar, N (ELSEVIER, 2022-10)
    BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that parenting behaviors may affect child mental health via altering brain development. There is a scarcity of research, however, that has investigated associations between parenting behavior and brain structure using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging. This study aimed to investigate associations between parenting behaviors and structural brain development across the transition from childhood to adolescence. METHODS: Participants were 246 children who provided 436 magnetic resonance imaging datasets covering the age range from 8 to 13 years. Parents (94% mothers) completed self-report measures of parenting behavior, and both children and parents reported on child mental health. Factor analysis was used to identify dimensions of parental behavior. Linear mixed-effects models investigated associations between parenting behaviors and age-related change in cortical thickness and surface area and subcortical volume. Mediation models tested whether brain changes mediated associations between parenting behaviors and changes in internalizing/externalizing symptoms. RESULTS: Hypothesized associations between parenting and amygdala, hippocampal, and frontal trajectories were not supported. Rather, higher levels of parent harsh/inconsistent discipline were associated with decreases in surface area in medial parietal and temporal pole regions and reduced cortical thinning in medial parietal regions. Some effects were present in female but not male children. There were no associations between these neurodevelopmental alterations and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the links between parenting behavior and child neurodevelopment. Given the functions of implicated regions, findings may suggest that parental harsh/inconsistent discipline affects the development of neural circuits subserving sensorimotor and social functioning in children.