Brain Changes Linked to Cognitive Symptomatology in Homeless Youth

Youth impacted by homelessness experience diminished cognition due to a variety of reasons including mental health symptoms, alcohol and substance use, and adverse childhood experiences. However, the status of specific brain regions which could impact important cognitive functions in homeless youth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical nursing research 2023-07, Vol.32 (6), p.932-946
Main Authors: Bounds, Dawn, Woo, Mary A, Nyamathi, Adeline, Kehoe, Priscilla, Roy, Bhaswati, Yadav, Kartik, Cabrera-Mino, Cristina, Kumar, Rajesh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adverse childhood experiences
Alcohol use
Brain
Brain - pathology
Childhood experiences
Childhood factors
Cognition
Cognitive functioning
Conflict resolution
Decision making
Homeless people
Homeless Youth - psychology
Humans
Magnetic resonance imaging
Male
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Regions
Substance abuse
Substance-Related Disorders - pathology
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Symptoms
Teenagers
Young Adult
Youth
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Summary:Youth impacted by homelessness experience diminished cognition due to a variety of reasons including mental health symptoms, alcohol and substance use, and adverse childhood experiences. However, the status of specific brain regions which could impact important cognitive functions in homeless youth remains unclear. In this pilot comparative and correlational study, a series of demographic, psychological, cognitive assessments, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed in 10 male youth experiencing homelessness and 9 age-matched healthy male controls (age range: 18–25 years). Participants experiencing homelessness had significantly decreased regional brain gray matter tissue in comparison to the controls. Moreover, there were strong inverse correlations between the brain regions classically associated with executive decision-making (prefrontal cortices), depression (insular lobes), and conflict resolution (anterior cingulate), and the level of the symptoms detected by their questionnaires.
ISSN:1054-7738
1552-3799
DOI:10.1177/10547738231168465