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Mapping Neural Systems Underlying Social Functioning among Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Typically Developing Youth

 

This integrative dissertation examines the neural mechanisms underlying social functioning through meta-analytic techniques and subsequently applies findings to a clinical population. Neuroscientists have long aimed to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying social processing, crucial for human interaction, communication, and relationship formation. Utilizing the NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, we conducted a series of coordinate-based meta-analyses to delineate the neural substrates constituting the "social brain", and identified differential convergence associated with RDoC social constructs.

Our findings illuminated the neural underpinnings of diverse social processes and served as a steppingstone in understanding social functioning impairments in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adopting the RDoC framework, we investigated whether an ADHD classification system based on social functioning predicted real-world outcomes more effectively than traditional DSM-5 nosology. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we first identified social profiles of ADHD youth based on variability in social behavioral processes, then we examined the neurobiological validity of these profiles via differences in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), and finally compared these to traditional DSM-5 nosology with respect to psychosocial and academic outcomes.

This integrative approach promised to advance understanding of ADHD etiology with respect to social functioning challenges, while addressing the disorder's inherent heterogeneity. By elucidating neural correlates of social impairments in ADHD, this study aimed to inform targeted assessment and interventions tailored to the diverse needs of affected youth, thus bridging the gap between neuroscience and clinical practice.

Major Professor: Dr. Erica Musser

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