Shared Neural Signatures of Socioeconomic Status, Scarcity, and Neighborhood Threat in Youth

Abstract

Early life adversity is a known risk factor for psychopathology, yet the neurodevelopmental impacts of distinct types of adversity remain unclear. Using machine learning, we examined how adversity (physical and sexual abuse, neighborhood threat, scarcity, household dysfunction, prenatal substance exposure, parental psychopathology) and socioeconomic status are associated with cortical thickness in youth. We used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study at three time points: baseline (N=6,908, ages 9-10), two-year follow-up (N=5,808), and four-year follow-up (N=2,245). Cortical thickness was linked to socioeconomic status and neighborhood threat at all time points, and scarcity at baseline. The strongest negative associations were in medial temporal and occipital regions. Our analyses revealed neural effects of socioeconomic status, neighborhood threat, and scarcity, converging on regions involved in memory, visual processing, and higher-order cognition. These findings suggest consistent neural signatures linked to socioeconomic disadvantage, highlighting the importance of addressing inequality to promote neurodevelopmental health.