Gender differences in psychiatric-linked behaviors linked to shared brain connections.

Similar brain connection patterns can lead to different psychiatric behaviors in boys and girls during childhood, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry. The study found that functional connectivity profiles were able to predict externalizing behaviors in both boys and girls, but internalizing behaviors were generally only predictable in girls. Additionally, the same neural pathways were associated with both internalizing and externalizing behaviors in both boys and girls. The study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which is a large community-based sample of children and adolescents who were assessed on a comprehensive set of neuroimaging, behavioral, developmental, and psychiatric batteries.