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Background: Adolescence, a developmental period characterized by significant changes in sleep, is associated with normative increases in impulsivity. While short sleep duration has been linked to elevated impulsivity, the neural mechanism underlying the relationship between short sleep duration and elevated impulsivity remains poorly understood. Methods: We analyzed a dataset of 7,884 drug‐naive 9–10 year‐olds from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Among them, 5,166 have two‐year follow‐up neuroimaging data. Linear mixed‐effects models, mediation analyses, and longitudinal mediation analyses were used to investigate the relationship between parent‐reported sleep duration, impulsivity, and functional and structural connectivity between the cortex and the striatum. Results: We found that less sleep duration is significantly associated with higher positive and negative urgency, which are two affect‐related components of impulsivity. In addition, we observed a link between short sleep duration and reduced corticostriatal connectivity. Neural pathways associated with short sleep duration—functional connectivity between the cingulo‐opercular network and the left caudate, and between the cingulo‐parietal network and the right pallidum—mediated the association between sleep duration and positive urgency both at baseline and two‐year follow‐up. Longitudinal mediation analyses further revealed that short sleep duration and elevated positive urgency exacerbated each other through these two corticostriatal connectivities. Conclusions: These findings highlight the key role of corticostriatal connectivities in the reciprocal relationship between short sleep duration and elevated impulsivity. Given the increasing prevalence of short sleep duration in adolescents, the link between sleep duration, impulsivity, and corticostriatal connectivities has important implications for timely interventions to address impulsive problems in early adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conundrums inherent in the study of child and adolescent development are likely never far from the minds of the readers of JCPP. The complexity of development is flagged clearly in this issue. Included papers remind us that the link between associations (here maternal depression and child internalising problems) can change over short time periods. Even when the magnitude of associations stay consistent over time (here between the home environment and depression), there may be different aetiological processes underlying these links. Going forward, we should not lose sight of the significance of small changes in study designs, whether concerning the age range of participants, stipulated reporting periods and data analysis decisions (such as combining data from different age groups). The value of longitudinal data in addressing these questions remains paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: DSM-IV specifies three ADHD subtypes; the combined, the hyperactive-impulsive and the inattentive. Little is known about the developmental relationships underlying these subtypes. The objective of this study was to describe the development of parent-reported hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention symptoms from childhood to adolescence and to study their associations with genetic factors, family risk, and later adjustment problems in early adulthood. Method: Data in this study comes from 1,450 twin pairs participating in a population-based, longitudinal twin study. Developmental trajectories were defined using parent-ratings of hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention symptoms at age 8-9, 13-14, and 16-17. Twin methods were used to explore genetic influences on trajectories. Family risk measures included low socioeconomic status, large family size and divorce. Self-ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems in early adulthood were used to examine adjustment problems related to the different trajectory combinations. Results: We found two hyperactivity-impulsivity trajectories (low, high/decreasing) and two inattention trajectories (low, high/increasing). Twin modeling revealed a substantial genetic component underlying both the hyperactivity-impulsivity and the inattention trajectory. Joint trajectory analyses identified four groups of adolescents with distinct developmental patterns of hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention: a low/low group, a primarily hyperactive, a primarily inattentive and a combined (high/high) trajectory type. These trajectory combinations showed discriminant relations to adjustment problems in early adulthood. The hyperactive, inattentive and combined trajectory subtypes were associated with higher rates of family risk environments compared to the low/low group. Conclusion: Study results showed that for those on a high trajectory, hyperactivity decreased whereas inattention increased. The combinations of these trajectories lend developmental insight into how children shift from (i) a combined to inattentive subtype, and (ii) a hyperactive-impulsive to a combined subtype. This study suggests that ADHD subtypes cannot be viewed as discrete and stable categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]