Predicting individual cases of major adolescent psychiatric conditions with artificial intelligence.

Three-quarters of lifetime mental illness occurs by the age of 24, but relatively little is known about how to robustly identify youth at risk to target intervention efforts known to improve outcomes. Barriers to knowledge have included obtaining robust predictions while simultaneously analyzing large numbers of different types of candidate predictors. In a new, large, transdiagnostic youth sample and multidomain high-dimension data, we used 160 candidate predictors encompassing neural, prenatal, developmental, physiologic, sociocultural, environmental, emotional and cognitive features and leveraged three different machine learning algorithms optimized with a novel artificial intelligence meta-learning technique to predict individual cases of anxiety, depression, attention deficit, disruptive behaviors and post-traumatic stress.

Dimensional profiling of psychopathology in children and adolescents based on the K-SADS-PL and an analysis of the construct validity of two ADHD symptom dimensions.

Objectives: The traditional view on psychiatric disorders as categorical and distinct is being challenged by perspectives emphasizing the relevance of dimensional and transdiagnostic assessment. However, most diagnostic instruments are based on a categorical view with a threshold-approach to disease classification.

Methods: We here describe algorithms for dimensionalizing the psychopathological ratings of the widely used diagnostic interview for children and adolescents, the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL).

The Coronavirus Impact Scale: Construction, Validation, and Comparisons in Diverse Clinical Samples.

Objective: This report is of the construction and initial psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Impact Scale in multiple large and diverse samples of families with children and adolescents. The scale was established to capture the impact of the coronavirus pandemic during its first wave. Differences in impact between samples and internal structure within samples were assessed.

Transgenerational Inheritance and Systemic Racism in America.

Objective: It is well established that personal experiences of trauma, adversity, and discrimination can "get under the skin" and increase risk for a whole host of negative mental and physical health outcomes. The aim of this article is to review emerging research on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance which suggests that negative exposures in one generation, can also be passed down to affect the health and well-being of future generations.

Method: This paper reviews key concepts in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance research, select animal and human studies examining the role of epigenetic mechanisms in transmitting the impact of ancestral stress and trauma, poor nutrition, and toxicant exposure across generations, and factors that can mitigate the effects of these experiences.

Financial stress as a mediator of the association between maternal childhood adversity and infant birth weight, gestational age, and NICU admission.

Background: To examine whether financial stress during pregnancy mediates the association between maternal exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and three birth outcomes (i.e., gestational age, birth weight, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]).

DNA methylation signatures as biomarkers of socioeconomic position.

This review article provides a framework for the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation (DNAm) biomarkers to study the biological embedding of socioeconomic position (SEP) and summarizes the latest developments in the area. It presents the emerging literature showing associations between individual- and neighborhood-level SEP exposures and DNAm across the life course. In contrast to questionnaire-based methods of assessing SEP, we suggest that DNAm biomarkers may offer an accessible metric to study questions about SEP and health outcomes, acting as a personal dosimeter of exposure.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study: Impact of Changes From DSM-IV to DSM-5.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), used to diagnose psychiatric disorders, was revised to DSM-5 in 2013. Changes were made to the criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 1% to 3% in children. Prior revisions to OCD criteria (from DSM-III to DSM-IV) resulted in lower reported prevalence rates, but this is not yet clear with DSM-5.

Challenges and Opportunities in China's Health Aid to Africa: Findings from Qualitative Interviews in Tanzania and Malawi.

Background: China has played an increasing role in development aid across Africa. Most recently, China has increased its external investments through the Belt and Road Initiative, China's signature infrastructure and trade drive to link China to Asia and Africa. This is likely to result in continuing growth of China's investment in health in sub Saharan Africa.

Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein (TPPP) gene methylation and corpus callosum measures in maltreated children.

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the impact of Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein (TPPP) methylation on structural and fractional anisotropy (FA) corpus callosum (CC) measures. TPPP is involved in the development of white matter tracts in the brain and was implicated in stress-related psychiatric disorders in an unbiased whole epigenome methylation study. The cohort included 63 participants (11.

Social supports moderate the effects of child adversity on neural correlates of threat processing.

Background: Child abuse and other forms of adversity are associated with alterations in threat processing and emotion regulation brain circuits.

Objective: The goal of the current investigation is to determine if the availability of positive social support can ameliorate the negative impact of adversity on these brain systems.

Participants And Setting: Subjects included 55 children ages 7-16 (X = 11.

Computer-Assisted Psychiatric Diagnosis.

Accurate psychiatric diagnosis is critical for both sound clinical interventions and valid research methodology. Over the years, attempts to improve diagnostic reliability and accuracy led to the development of more explicit operationalized diagnostic criteria, starting with DSM-III, and subsequently fully structured and semistructured diagnostic interviews. As diagnostic assessment changed and with advances in technology, the use of computers soon developed in parallel to improve the reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnosis.

A multi-method and multi-informant approach to assessing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.

Trauma exposure is highly prevalent among children globally, and is associated with elevated rates of PTSD. The goal of this study was to systematically evaluate the effects of multiple informants and multiple screening measures on the identification of specific PTSD symptoms and rates of PTSD diagnoses. Participants in this study included 350 maltreated children from two cohorts, one recruited from Connecticut ( = 130), and the other from Vermont ( = 220).

Development of Three Web-Based Computerized Versions of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Child Psychiatric Diagnostic Interview: Preliminary Validity Data.

Objective: To present initial validity data on three web-based computerized versions of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS-COMP).

Method: The sample for evaluating the validity of the clinician-administered KSADS-COMP included 511 youths 6-18 years of age who were participants in the Child Mind Institute Healthy Brain Network. The sample for evaluating the parent and youth self-administered versions of the KSADS-COMP included 158 youths 11-17 years of age recruited from three academic institutions.

Child maltreatment and psychosis.

This paper reviews the literature on the association between experiences of child abuse and neglect and the development of psychoses. It then explores the premise that psychotic patients with a history of maltreatment may comprise a clinically and biological distinct subgroup. The review demonstrates that there is a growing consensus in the field that experiences of child maltreatment contribute to the onset of psychotic symptoms and psychotic disorders.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Epigenetic Measures, and Obesity in Youth.

Objective: To determine if measures of adverse childhood experiences and DNA methylation relate to indices of obesity in youth.

Study Design: Participants were derived from a cohort of 321 8 to 15-year-old children recruited for an investigation examining risk and resilience and psychiatric outcomes in maltreated children. Assessments of obesity were collected as an add-on for a subset of 234 participants (56% female; 52% maltreated).

Methylation in OTX2 and related genes, maltreatment, and depression in children.

Through unbiased transcriptomics and multiple molecular tools, transient downregulation of the Orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) gene was recently causatively associated with the development of depressive-like behaviors in a mouse model of early life stress. The analyses presented in this manuscript test the translational applicability of these findings by examining peripheral markers of methylation of OTX2 and OTX2-regulated genes in relation to measures of depression and resting-state functional connectivity data collected as part of a larger study examining risk and resilience in maltreated children. The sample included 157 children between the ages of 8 and 15 years (χ = 11.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Preadolescent Children With Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder: Feasibility and Outcomes.

Objective: Persistent irritability and behavior outbursts in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) are associated with severe impairment in childhood and with negative adolescent and adult outcomes. There are no empirically established treatments for DMDD. This study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy adapted for preadolescent children (DBT-C) with DMDD.

China's health assistance to Africa: opportunism or altruism?

China has made substantial health commitments to Africa in the past several decades. However, while much has been written regarding China-Africa aid overall, relatively little attention has been given to China's health aid. To better understand these investments, we provide an overview of the current framework and characteristics of China's health aid to Africa.

The role of genes involved in stress, neural plasticity, and brain circuitry in depressive phenotypes: Convergent findings in a mouse model of neglect.

Early life neglect increases risk for the development of psychopathologies during childhood and adulthood, including depression and anxiety disorders. We recently reported epigenetic changes in DNA derived from saliva in three genes predicted depression in a cohort of maltreated children: DNA-binding protein inhibitor ID-3 (ID3), Glutamate NMDA Receptor (GRIN1), and Tubulin Polymerization Promoting Protein (TPPP). To validate the role of these genes in depression risk, secondary analyses were conducted of gene expression data obtained from medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) tissue of mice subjected to a model of maternal neglect which included maternal separation and early weaning (MSEW).