Genomic structural equation modeling of impulsivity and risk-taking traits reveals three latent factors distinctly associated with brain structure and development

作者：Mari Shishikura, Lang Liu, Eric Yu, Rui Zhu, Laura Vilar‐Ribó, Renata B. Cupertino, Abraham A. Palmer, Sandra Sanchez‐Roige, Uku Vainik, Filip Morys, Ziv Gan‐Or, Bratislav Mišić, Alain Dagher · 发表于：bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1101/2025.06.05.657840 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Cognitive Abilities and Testing、Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior、Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Background: Impulsivity is a multifaceted transdiagnostic trait that emerges in childhood. Research has identified genetic loci and brain systems associated with different facets of impulsivity and risk-taking. However, how these genetic underpinnings overlap across different facets, and how they are associated with brain development during childhood remain unknown. Methods: Using genomic structural equation modeling on 17 impulsivity and risk-taking traits, we identified latent factors capturing overlapping genetic architecture. We then calculated polygenic scores for these factors using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study data (N = 4,142) and examined their associations with brain structure, development, and behavior in children aged 9-14 years. Finally, we tested whether socioeconomic status modulated the associations between latent polygenic scores and brain structures. Results: We identified three distinct genetic latent factors, which we label lack of self-control, reward drive, and sensation seeking. In children, polygenic scores for the three factors showed associations with distinct brain patterns: lack of self-control associated with reduced prefrontal cortical thickness, reward drive with increased subcortical cellular density, and sensation seeking with increased cortical surface area and white matter integrity. Longitudinally, lack of self-control predicted slower white matter development. The association between polygenetic score for lack of self-contro...