Pre-adolescent Brain Asymmetry: Developmental Trajectory, Cognitive and Psychiatric Effects, Neurobiological and Environmental Influences in ABCD Study

Cerebral asymmetry is fundamental to various cognitive functions but is often disrupted in neuropsychiatric disorders. While adolescent brain growth has been extensively studied, the maturation of brain asymmetry in children and its influencing factors remain poorly understood. Using longitudinal data from 11,000 children aged 10–14 in the ABCD Study, we mapped the developmental trajectory of structural brain asymmetry and revealed significant age-related, modality-specific development patterns, particularly linked to crystallized intelligence and general psychiatric risks. Genetically, structural asymmetry were related to synaptic processes and neurogenesis, likely through asymmetric synaptic pruning. At the macrostructural level, corpus callosum integrity emerged as a key factor in modulating longitudinal asymmetry. Environmentally, favorable perinatal conditions were associated with prolonged corpus callosum development, affecting future asymmetry patterns and cognitive outcomes. These findings underscore the dynamic yet predictable interactions between brain structural asymmetry, its determinants, and cognitive and psychiatric outcomes during this pivotal developmental stage. Our results provide empirical support for the adaptive plasticity theory in cerebral asymmetry and offer new insights into both cognitive maturation and potential risk for early-onset psychiatric disorder risks.