Neural Networks Underlying Preteen Social Motivation: novel risk factor for preteen suicide
2025 Award: $200,000
Why do some preteen girls become vulnerable to suicide while others don’t, even when they face similar social stress? This first of its kind study will use brain scans, hormone data, and behavioral assessments to explore how the timing of puberty affects brain development and suicide risk. By identifying early warning signs, we aim to support earlier, more effective interventions to protect youth mental health.
Need/Problem: Youth suicide is a leading cause of death, with many preteens experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially in response to interpersonal stress. However, it remains unclear why only some youth are vulnerable despite widespread exposure to stress. There is a critical need to identify early developmental risk factors—like the timing of puberty—that may influence brain development and increase suicide risk.
Grant Summary: This project will collect neuroimaging data from preteen girls enrolled in a larger NIH funded investigation. We will combine their brain data with hormone data from saliva and behavioral assessments. This will allow us to examine how brain connectivity during puberty relates to social motivation and self-injurious behaviors.
Goals & Projected Outcomes: This project will allow us to conduct a first of its kind investigation into how puberty shapes brain functioning in a way that helps us understand youth suicide risk among preteen girls. The research will build on an existing NIMH-funded study by adding a critical neuroimaging component. Findings will lay the groundwork for future large-scale studies and help inform early interventions to prevent youth suicide.
Adam Miller, PhD
Grant Details: Every preteen will face interpersonal stress, however, only a very small number of them will begin to think about suicide and make a suicide attempt. Puberty leads to brain changes that specifically orient youth towards feedback from their peers and motivate them for social relationships. Earlier onset of puberty relative to peers is thought to disrupt this normative developmental process and generate increased risk for mental health challenges, including suicide. Here, we propose to investigate how the timing of puberty in preteen girls may influence how their brains develop and support their motivation to engage in social relationships. We also will investigate whether their brain functioning during the pubertal transition helps us understand who will develop self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (STBs). To do so, this study will recruit 80 preteen girls between the ages of 8-11 from a larger study of 200 girls already underway at UNC. Girls in this proposed investigation will participate in a neuroimaging scan. We will combine their brain data with hormone data from saliva and behavioral assessments to map early suicide risk trajectories.
