Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41821624›Full record

ArticleNature. Mental health2026

Polygenic score for C-reactive protein is linked to faster cortical thinning and psychopathology risk in adolescents.

Haixia Zheng, Jonathan Savitz, Ebrahim Haroon, Jonathan Ahern, Robert J Loughnan, Firas Naber, Bohan Xu, Katherine L Forthman, Robin L Aupperle, Leanne M Williams and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature. Mental health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Haixia ZhengLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5262-6676
Jonathan SavitzLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8143-182X
Ebrahim HaroonDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA.
Jonathan AhernCenter for Population Neuroscience and Genetics, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0009-0004-0115-4527
Robert J LoughnanCenter for Population Neuroscience and Genetics, Tulsa, OK USA.
Firas NaberLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.
Bohan XuLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.
Katherine L ForthmanLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8695-8388
Robin L AupperleLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.
Leanne M WilliamsPsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9987-7360
Martin P PaulusLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0825-3606
Chun Chieh FanLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9437-2128
Wesley K ThompsonLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK USA.

Funding

Effects of pandemic-related disruption to social connectedness on the brain and emotional wellbeing in adolescentsR01MH128959 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Fiona C Baker, Chun Chieh Fan · 2022 to 2026
$3.9M
Estimating The Fraction of Variance Explained by Genetics and Neuroanatomy in Neuropsychiatric ConditionsR01MH128923 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Armin Schwartzman, Wesley Kurt Thompson · 2022 to 2026
$2.9M
Identifying and quantifying genetic effects on neurodevelopmental trajectories in adolescentsR01MH122688 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI FAN, CHUN CHIEH · 2020 to 2024
$1.8M
Cytomegalovirus, Brain Alterations, and Depression: Decoding Neuroinflammatory Pathways for Effective InterventionK01MH136403 · NIMH · LAUREATE INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN RESEARCH · PI Haixia Zheng · 2024 to 2026
$626k
NIMH NIH HHS K01 MH136403NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH122688NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH128923NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH128959
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adolescence is a sensitive period of brain development marked by rapid cortical thinning and increased risk for psychiatric disorders, yet the biological drivers of atypical trajectories remain unclear. Here, using longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we examined whether genetic predisposition to systemic inflammation, indexed by polygenic scores for C-reactive protein (PGS-CRP), influences brain development and psychopathology. Higher PGS-CRP was associated with accelerated cortical thinning, particularly in medial temporal and insular regions, and with increased externalizing symptoms. Early-life infections independently predicted greater depressive and externalizing symptoms but did not interact with genetic risk. Mediation analyses indicated that cortical thinning partially accounted for the association between PGS-CRP and externalizing psychopathology. Biological annotation further identified the regional similarity between cortical effects of PGS-CRP and several neurotransmitter systems. Together, these findings suggest that genetic susceptibility to inflammation may shape adolescent brain maturation and contribute to mental health vulnerability via neuroimmune pathways.

Indexed as

Developmental neurogenesisRisk factors

Identifiers

PMID41821624
PMCPMC12975513

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.