The elusive phenotype of preadolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Can neuroimaging deliver on its promise?

Lifetime suicidal thoughts and behaviors were
assessed in a large sample (N=7,994) of children ages 9–10
years recruited through the Adolescent Brain Cognition Development (ABCD) project. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors
were most closely associated with child psychopathology,
family conflict, and parental psychopathology. The strongest
neural correlate was an association between suicidal thoughts
and behaviors and decreased thickness of the superior temporal gyrus. Psychosocial and neuroimaging findings only
modestly discriminated between those with and without
lifetime suicidal thoughtsand behaviors.This studyis timely, as
the rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among preadolescents is increasing rapidly (2), most notably among females,
as well as Black youths, for reasons that are poorly understood.
Despite recent efforts, no definitive neural correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been identified (3).