Distinct brain network features predict internalizing and externalizing traits in children, adolescents and adults

The distinction between externalizing and internalizing traits has been a classic area of study in psychiatry. However, whether shared or unique brain network features predict internalizing and externalizing behaviors remains poorly understood. Using a sample of 5,260 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, 229 adolescents from the Healthy Brain Network and 423 adults from the Human Connectome Project, we show that predictive network features are, at least in part, distinct across internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Across all three samples, behaviors within internalizing and externalizing categories exhibited more similar predictive feature weights than behaviors between categories. These data suggest shared and unique brain network features account for individual variation within broad internalizing and externalizing categories across developmental stages. In this study, the authors present work showing shared and distinct predictive network features associated with internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children, adolescents and adults.