Association of Childhood Violence Exposure With Adolescent Neural Network Density

Key Points Question Are violence exposure and social deprivation associated with person-specific patterns (heterogeneity) of adolescent resting-state functional connectivity? Findings In this cohort study of 175 adolescents, childhood violence exposure, but not social deprivation, was associated with reduced adolescent resting-state density of the salience and default mode networks. A data-driven algorithm, blinded to childhood adversity, identified youth with heightened violence exposure based on resting-state connectivity patterns. Meaning Childhood violence exposure appears to be associated with adolescent functional connectivity heterogeneity, which may reflect person-specific neural plasticity and should be considered in neuroscience-based interventions.