Regional grey matter volume reduction in adolescents engaging in non-suicidal self-injury
Abstract
There is a high prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) amongst adolescents worldwide and therefore an urgency to investigate the underlying mechanisms that may facilitate such behaviours. This study aimed to investigate neurobiological alterations, specifically in regional brain volumes of the frontolimbic system, in adolescents engaging in NSSI in comparison to healthy controls. Regional grey matter volumes were compared between 29 adolescent female patients who presented with incidents of NSSI on ≥5 days within the last 12 months (DSM-5 criteria for NSSI) and 21 healthy age, gender and education matched controls who had never received any psychiatric diagnosis/treatment, or engaged in NSSI. Significant group effects in regional brain volumes were observed in insula, and a suggested change in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), while controlling for total segmented volume. Additionally, ACC volume showed a significant association with past suicide attempts, where estimated marginal means showed even smaller ACC volume in adolescents engaging in NSSI with a history of suicide attempt in comparison to those with no history of suicide attempt, including healthy controls. This study provides the first evidence of volumetric changes in adolescents engaging in NSSI and a potential neurobiological link between NSSI and suicide attempt.
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Reduced anterior cingulate cortex volume is associated with STB and NSSI in youth.
“there is reduced anterior cingulate cortex volume related to STB and NSSI.”
From Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth (2021) · cites this paper as [64]
Compared with healthy controls, self-injurers show reduced insula gray matter volume, but this is not substantiated in BPD youth reporting parasuicidal behaviors.
“In comparison to healthy controls, self-injurers show reduced insula GMV (62, 64), but this is not substantiated in BPD youth reporting parasuicidal behaviors (65).”
From Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth (2021) · cites this paper as [64]
Among adolescents with BPD, more lifetime parasuicidal behaviors in the past 6 months associates with smaller left ACC volume, consistent with findings comparing past-year self-injurers and healthy youth.
“Among adolescents with BPD, a greater number of lifetime parasuicidal behaviors in the past 6 months associates with smaller left ACC volume (69), consistent with findings comparing past-year self-injurers and healthy youth (64).”
From Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth (2021) · cites this paper as [64]
NSSI research reveals ACC structural alterations and disruptions in amygdala and ACC connectivity, which contribute to hyperarousal and reduced impulse control, central features of NSSI.
“By contrast, NSSI research reveals ACC structural alterations (64, 69) as well as disruptions in amygdala and ACC connectivity (96), which contributes to hyperarousal and reduced impulse control—central features of NSSI (110, 111).”
From Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth (2021) · cites this paper as [64]
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Neural correlates associated with suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury in youth
Auerbach, R. P., Pagliaccio, D., Allison, G. O., Alqueza, K. L., & Alonso, M. F. (2021) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.06.002 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ando, A., Reichl, C., Scheu, F., Bykova, A., Parzer, P., Resch, F., Brunner, R., & Kaess, M.
- Affiliations
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- University of Bern (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Kaess, Michael
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-10
- Volume
- 280
- Pages
- 48-55
- ISSN
- 0925-4927 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2887212399
- Cited by
- 58
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 2.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- BORIS (University Library Bern) (submittedVersion)
- University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Keywords
- non-suicidal self-injury, adolescents, gray matter volume, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, suicide attempts, brain volumetry, neurobiological mechanisms
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Mental Disorders, Female, Humans, Organ Size, Suicide, Attempted, Prevalence, Self-Injurious Behavior, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Gray Matter
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