A study of urban eighth-graders finds that resting functional connectivity in the brain's central executive network may moderate the adverse health effects of neighborhood violence. Neighborhood violence has been associated with adverse health effects on youth, including sleep loss, asthma, and metabolic syndrome. However, such effects are not ubiquitous, suggesting factors that confer resilience to detrimental outcomes. Gregory E. Miller and colleagues tested 218 eighth-graders from the Chicago area for factors related to metabolic health, including total adiposity and insulin resistance. The authors also used functional MRI scans to measure resting functional connectivity in several brain networks. Overlaying the violent crime statistics of each neighborhood in the study area enabled correlation between exposure to violence and the study metrics of interest. The authors found that neighborhood violence was associated with adverse metabolic health in youth with low resting connectivity in the central executive network, which is associated with self-control, appraisal of threatening stimuli, and suppression of intrusive negative thoughts. However, no such correlation was apparent in participants who displayed high resting functional connectivity in the same brain network. According to the authors, the results suggest a role for the central executive network in adaptability and resilience to adverse events.
Article #18-10067: "Functional connectivity in central executive network protects youth against cardiometabolic risks linked with neighborhood violence," by Gregory E. Miller et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gregory E. Miller, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; tel: 847-467-5755; e-mail: greg.miller@northwestern.edu
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