A short-interval longitudinal study of associations between psychological distress and hippocampal grey matter in early adolescence.

This study of Australian adolescents (N = 88, 12-13-years-old) investigated the relationship between hippocampal grey matter volume (GMV) and self-reported psychological distress (K10) at four timepoints, across 12 months. Participants were divided into two groups; those who had K10 scores between 10 and 15 for all four timepoints were categorised as "low distress" (i.e.

Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Psychological Distress in an Adolescent Population: A Preliminary Analysis.

Adolescence is a period marked by significant vulnerability to the onset of mental health concerns. Within adults, the metacognitive model of psychological disorders advocates for the involvement of metacognitive beliefs in the onset, and maintenance, of psychopathology. The current study aimed to assess the applicability of the metacognitive model in adolescence by exploring the relationship, as well as the trajectory, between metacognitive beliefs and psychological distress.

Monitoring cognitive function in the fatigued warfighter: A rapid review of cognitive biomarkers.

Objectives: Decreases in cognitive function impair occupational performance, reduce occupational safety, and increase musculoskeletal injury risk. The aim of this paper was to identify measures that may be used to monitor cognitive function in the warfighter.

Design: A rapid review.

Structural connectivity and its association with social connectedness in early adolescence.

Adolescence is a critical period of social and neural development. Brain regions which process social information develop throughout adolescence as young people learn to navigate social environments. Studies investigating brain structural connectivity (indexed by white matter (WM) integrity), and social connectedness in adolescents have been limited until recently, with literature stemming mostly from adult samples, broad age ranges within adolescence or based on social network characteristics as opposed to social connectedness.

Gender differences in brain activity when exposed to cyberbullying: Associations between wellbeing and cyberbullying experience using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

The role of gender and the associated brain activation when witnessing cyberbullying requires investigation. The current study aimed to determine whether brain responses to cyberbullying differ according to gender and level of wellbeing. We hypothesised that females and males would activate different regions of the brain when witnessing cyberbullying, and that this would be influenced by wellbeing levels and prior cyberbullying experiences.

The neural correlates of socio-cognitive factors and eating disorders in young people: A systematic review.

Background: Although the primary aetiology of Eating Disorders (ED) remains unknown, research suggests a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and cultural/environmental factors. This paper aims to systematically review the literature on neuroimaging studies that measure socio-cognitive factors, in the context of body dissatisfaction and EDs in young people. Specifically, our aim was to identify patterns in the findings linked to social media-type behaviours.

Dataset of brain functional connectome and its maturation in adolescents.

We provided the dataset of brain connectome matrices, their similarities measures to self and others longitudinally, and Kessler's psychological distress scales (K10) including the response to each question. The dataset can be used to replicate the results of the manuscript titled "A longitudinal study of functional connectome uniqueness and its association with psychological distress in adolescence". The functional connectome (whole-brain and 13 networks) matrices were calculated from the resting-state functional MRIs (rs-fMRIs).

A longitudinal study of functional connectome uniqueness and its association with psychological distress in adolescence.

Each human brain has a unique functional synchronisation pattern (functional connectome) analogous to a fingerprint that underpins brain functions and related behaviours. Here we examine functional connectome (whole-brain and 13 networks) maturation by measuring its uniqueness in adolescents who underwent brain scans longitudinally from 12 years of age every four months. The uniqueness of a functional connectome is defined as its ratio of self-similarity (from the same subject at a different time point) to the maximal similarity-to-others (from a given subject and any others at a different time point).

Social Connectedness, Cyberbullying, and Well-Being: Preliminary Findings from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study.

Social connectedness is well established as an important aspect of adolescence, with higher levels typically resulting in positive mental health and well-being. Cyberbullying is a prevalent concern during adolescence and is a significant contributor to poor mental health outcomes during this important phase of life. Research shows that social connectedness may act as a protective factor for mental health and well-being when young people experience cyberbullying.

Basal ganglia correlates of wellbeing in early adolescence.

It has been suggested that biological markers that define mental health are different to those that define mental illness. The basal ganglia changes dramatically over adolescence and has been linked to wellbeing and mental health disorders in young people. However, there remains a paucity of research on wellbeing and brain structure in early adolescence.

Can measures of sleep quality or white matter structural integrity predict level of worry or rumination in adolescents facing stressful situations? Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: COVID-19 has resulted in major life changes to the majority of the world population, particularly adolescents, with social-distancing measures such as home-based schooling likely to impact sleep quality. Increased worry is also likely considering the substantial financial, educational and health concerns accompanying COVID-19. White matter (WM) integrity has been shown to be associated with anxiety and depression symptoms, including worry, as well being closely associated with sleep quality.

A novel, complex systems approach to modelling risk of psychological distress in young adolescents.

Adolescence is a period of significant anatomical and functional brain changes, and complex interactions occur between mental health risk factors. The Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study commenced in 2018, to monitor environmental and psychosocial factors influencing mental health in 500 adolescents, for 5 years. Participants are recruited at age 12 from the community in Australia's Sunshine Coast region.

Short strides to important findings: A short interval longitudinal study of sleep quality, psychological distress and microstructure changes to the uncinate fasciculus in early adolescents.

Background: Developmental studies have shown adolescence is a period of ongoing white matter (WM) development, reduced sleep quality and the onset of many mental disorders. Findings indicate the WM development of the uncinate fasciculus (UF), a WM tract suggested to play a key role in mental disorders, continues throughout adolescence. While these studies provide valuable information, they are limited by long intervals between scans (1 to 4 years) leaving researchers and clinicians to infer what may be occurring between time-points.

Associations between sleep quality and psychological distress in early adolescence.

Although numerous studies have reported an association between sleep quality and mental health, few have focused on this association exclusively in early adolescence. Targeting this age group is vital as many mental illnesses first emerge during adolescence and remain a significant burden throughout life. In the current study = 60 participants aged 12 years completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).

Cyberbullying and Adolescent Neurobiology.

Whilst it is well documented that cyberbullying is linked to poor mental health outcomes, limited research has examined how cyberbullying may influence brain development adolescents, and the influence of each of these factors. The article's primary objective was to develop an understanding of research to date that addresses any relationship between adolescent brain development and cyberbullying. The current article reviews any existing literature regarding the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent brain development, paying particular attention to research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.

Investigating the association between sleep quality and diffusion-derived structural integrity of white matter in early adolescence.

Introduction: Poor sleep quality has been linked to reduced neural connectivity through decreased white matter (WM) structural integrity. WM tract development has been shown to continue throughout adolescence with studies reporting positive correlations between diffusion-derived estimates of structural integrity and reduced sleep quality in adult samples. Few studies have investigated this relationship exclusively within a sample of young adolescents.

The Cyberbullying Picture Series (CyPicS): Developed for Use in Cyberbullying and Cyberbystander Research.

While research has examined bystander responses in a traditional sense, there is a dearth of research regarding responses of cyberbystanders in a real-time situation, such as observing a cyberbullying scenario. This article describes a novel protocol designed to develop a series of images to be used to undertake research that aims to examine cyberbystander responses. A total of 24 scenarios (12 negative (cyberbullying) and 12 neutral) were created by the researchers and designed to mimic the way such scenarios would appear on a social networking site.

Using measures of intrinsic homeostasis and extrinsic modulation to evaluate mental health in adolescents: Preliminary results from the longitudinal adolescent brain study (LABS).

Adolescence is a period when complex interactions occur between mental health risk factors. The Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study (LABS) commenced in 2018, to monitor environmental and psychosocial factors thought to influence mental health in 500 young people. Participants commence at 12 years of age, via a community-based recruitment model, and data is collected at 15 time-points over five years.

Associations between Facial Emotion Recognition and Mental Health in Early Adolescence.

Research shows that adolescents with mental illnesses have a bias for processing negative facial emotions, and this may play a role in impaired social functioning that often co-exists with a mental health diagnosis. This study examined associations between psychological and somatic problems and facial emotion recognition in early adolescence; as any processing biases in this age-group may be an early indicator of later mental illnesses. A community sample of 40 12-year-olds self-rated their symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatization via two mental health screeners.

Neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

There is a dearth of research that has investigated the neural correlates of cyberbullying, using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and, specifically, in a real-time context such as observing cyberbullying scenarios. This article presents pilot data from a novel protocol designed to undertake such research with the overall aim being to elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of cyberbullying via task-based fMRI (tb-fMRI)) in passive cyberbystanders. Young adults (N = 32, 18 to 25 years old) viewed six negative (cyberbullying) and six neutral stimuli from the Cyberbullying Picture Series (CyPicS) while undergoing tb-fMRI.

Project Synergy: co-designing technology-enabled solutions for Australian mental health services reform.

Project Synergy aims to test the potential of new and emerging technologies to enhance the quality of mental health care provided by traditional face-to-face services. Specifically, it seeks to ensure that consumers get the right care, first time (delivery of effective mental health care early in the course of illness). Using co-design with affected individuals, Project Synergy has built, implemented and evaluated an online platform to assist the assessment, feedback, management and monitoring of people with mental disorders.