Resting-State Functional Connectivity in a Community Sample of Children With a Range of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms

Objective

Despite rapid advancements in understanding of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) in children, less is known about the neural correlates of CDS. The aim of this study was to examine associations between CDS symptom severity and connectivity within and between specific brain networks.

Method

The study recruited 65 right-handed children (ages 8-13 years; 36 boys) with the full continuum of CDS symptom severity from the community. As part of a cross-sectional descriptive study investigating CDS, children underwent 10-minute resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Connectivity metrics were extracted from the default mode network and ventral and dorsal attention networks. Parents and teachers completed measures of CDS and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention symptoms. Multivariate parametric cluster analyses were performed on within- and between-network connections of the specified networks, with age and sex included as covariates. Separate models were conducted with and without controlling for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention symptom severity.

Results

Parent-rated CDS symptom severity was not significantly associated with any between- or within-network associations of interest. When attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder inattention symptom severity was included in the model, teacher-rated CDS symptom severity was associated with greater functional connectivity between several regions of the default mode network and ventral attention network.

Conclusion

This study builds on theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting atypical connectivity between task-positive and task-negative networks as potentially key for understanding the neural correlates of CDS. These findings are important for building a neuroscience-based understanding of CDS and support emerging theoretical models linking CDS to mind wandering as well as DMN-related dysfunction.

Plain language summary

This study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 65 children (ages 8-13 years) to examine whether cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS, previously known as sluggish cognitive tempo) symptom severity was associated with connectivity within and between three brain networks clearly implicated in attention. This study adds to a limited literature examining the neural correlates of CDS, finding teacher ratings of CDS symptom severity to be associated with greater functional connectivity (ie, less segregation) between regions of the default mode network (DMN) and ventral attention networks. These findings are important for building a neuroscience-based understanding of CDS and support emerging theoretical models linking CDS to mind wandering and the decoupling of attention as well as DMN-related dysfunction.