Academic Success and Mental Health: The Paradox of Frontoparietal-Default Mode Network Coupling among Children Facing Poverty
Selina Pacheco, Silvia A. Bunge, Monica E. Ellwood-Lowe
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-registered longitudinal observational study Preregistered |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10,829 |
| Population | Children aged 9-13 in the ABCD study, including 1,931 living in poverty |
| Duration | Four time points across ages 9-13 |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Higher grades were associated with fewer internalizing symptoms, especially for children in poverty, but higher LFPN-DMN connectivity predicted more internalizing symptoms across both groups and time points, suggesting the neural pattern supporting academic resilience in poverty may be a risk factor for internalizing symptoms. |
Abstract
Abstract Childhood family income is a powerful predictor of academic achievement and mental health. Here, we ask whether children living in poverty who succeed academically are subsequently protected from, or at risk for, internalizing symptoms. Prior research indicates that children in poverty with better academic performance tend to have higher temporal coupling between the Lateral Frontoparietal Network (LFPN) and Default Mode Network (DMN) than lower-performing children in poverty. An open question is whether higher LFPN-DMN coupling has maladaptive long-term consequences for mental health for this population. In this pre-registered longitudinal study, we analyzed data from 10,829 children (1,931 in poverty) in the ABCD study across four time points (ages 9-13). Higher grades correlated with fewer internalizing symptoms; this association was more pronounced for children below poverty. Longitudinally, LFPN-DMN connectivity correlated positively with internalizing symptoms across both groups and timepoints. Thus, although higher academic performance was associated with better mental health outcomes for all children, the specific pattern of LFPN-DMN connectivity that supports academic resilience among children in poverty may be a risk factor for developing internalizing symptoms. These findings highlight the complex nature of academic resilience in the context of structural inequity. Highlights High grades linked to fewer internalizing symptoms, especially for kids in poverty. High LFPN-DMN connectivity predicts higher internalizing symptoms in children. Neural correlates of academic resilience may predispose children to internalizing. Children below poverty had higher internalizing symptoms.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Frontoparietal and default mode network connectivity varies with age and intelligence Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience January 27, 2021
- Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 27, 2002