Global urbanicity is associated with brain and behaviour in young people

Jiayuan Xu, Xiaoxuan Liu, Qiaojun Li, Ran Goldblatt, Wen Qin, Feng Liu, Congying Chu, Qiang Luo, Alex Ing, Lining Guo, Nana Liu, Huaigui Liu, Conghong Huang, Jingliang Cheng, Meiyun Wang, Zuojun Geng, Wenzhen Zhu, Bing Zhang, Weihua Liao, Shijun Qiu, Hui Zhang, Xiaojun Xu, Yongqiang Yu, Bo Gao, Tong Han, Guangbin Cui, Feng Chen, Junfang Xian, Jiance Li, Jing Zhang, Xi-Nian Zuo, Dawei Wang, Wen Shen, Yanwei Miao, Fei Yuan, Su Lui, Xiaochu Zhang, Kai Xu, Longjiang Zhang, Zhaoxiang Ye, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J. Barker, Arun L. W. Bokde, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Rüdiger Brühl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Herve Lemaitre, Tomáš Paus, Luise Poustka, Lauren Robinson, Sarah Hohmann, Juliane H. Fröhner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Jeanne Winterer, Kevin Patrick, Vince Calhoun, Mulin Jun Li, Meng Liang, Peng Gong, Edward D. Barker, Nicholas Clinton, Andre Marquand, Le Yu, Chunshui Yu () and Gunter Schumann ()
Additional contact information
Jiayuan Xu: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Xiaoxuan Liu: Tsinghua University
Qiaojun Li: Tianjin University of Commerce
Ran Goldblatt: New Light Technologies Inc.
Wen Qin: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Feng Liu: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Congying Chu: SGDP Centre, King’s College London
Qiang Luo: Fudan University
Alex Ing: SGDP Centre, King’s College London
Lining Guo: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Nana Liu: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Huaigui Liu: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Conghong Huang: Tsinghua University
Jingliang Cheng: First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University
Meiyun Wang: Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital and Henan Provincial People’s Hospital
Zuojun Geng: Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University
Wenzhen Zhu: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Bing Zhang: Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University
Weihua Liao: Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
Shijun Qiu: First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
Hui Zhang: The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University
Xiaojun Xu: Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine
Yongqiang Yu: First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University
Bo Gao: Affliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University
Tong Han: Tianjin Huanhu Hospital
Guangbin Cui: Tangdu Hospital, Military Medical University of PLA Airforce (Fourth Military Medical University)
Feng Chen: Hainan General Hospital
Junfang Xian: Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University
Jiance Li: First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University
Jing Zhang: Lanzhou University Second Hospital
Xi-Nian Zuo: Beijing Normal University
Dawei Wang: Qilu Hospital of Shandong University
Wen Shen: Tianjin First Center Hospital
Yanwei Miao: First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University
Fei Yuan: Pingjin Hospital, Logistics University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces
Su Lui: West China Hospital of Sichuan University
Xiaochu Zhang: University of Science and Technology of China
Kai Xu: Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University
Longjiang Zhang: Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University
Zhaoxiang Ye: Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
Tobias Banaschewski: Heidelberg University
Gareth J. Barker: King’s College London
Arun L. W. Bokde: Trinity College Dublin
Herta Flor: Heidelberg University
Antoine Grigis: Université Paris-Saclay
Hugh Garavan: University of Vermont
Penny Gowland: University of Nottingham
Andreas Heinz: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Rüdiger Brühl: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)
Jean-Luc Martinot: Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre Borelli, INSERM U1299 “Trajectoires Développementales & Psychiatrie”
Eric Artiges: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM Unit 1000 Neuroimaging and Psychiatry, University Paris Sud, University Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité; Psychiatry Department 91G16, Orsay Hospital
Frauke Nees: Heidelberg University
Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos: Université Paris-Saclay
Herve Lemaitre: Université Paris-Saclay NeuroSpin
Tomáš Paus: University of Montreal
Luise Poustka: University Medical Centre Göttingen
Lauren Robinson: King’s College London
Sarah Hohmann: Heidelberg University
Juliane H. Fröhner: Technische Universität Dresden
Michael N. Smolka: Technische Universität Dresden
Henrik Walter: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Robert Whelan: Trinity College Dublin
Jeanne Winterer: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health
Kevin Patrick: University of California San Diego
Vince Calhoun: Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University
Mulin Jun Li: Tianjin Medical University
Meng Liang: Tianjin Medical University
Peng Gong: Tsinghua University
Edward D. Barker: King’s College London
Nicholas Clinton: Google, Inc.
Andre Marquand: Radboud University Medical Center
Le Yu: Tsinghua University
Chunshui Yu: Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
Gunter Schumann: Fudan University

Nature Human Behaviour, 2022, vol. 6, issue 2, 279-293

Abstract: Abstract Urbanicity is a growing environmental challenge for mental health. Here, we investigate correlations of urbanicity with brain structure and function, neuropsychology and mental illness symptoms in young people from China and Europe (total n = 3,867). We developed a remote-sensing satellite measure (UrbanSat) to quantify population density at any point on Earth. UrbanSat estimates of urbanicity were correlated with brain volume, cortical surface area and brain network connectivity in the medial prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. UrbanSat was also associated with perspective-taking and depression symptoms, and this was mediated by neural variables. Urbanicity effects were greatest when urban exposure occurred in childhood for the cerebellum, and from childhood to adolescence for the prefrontal cortex. As UrbanSat can be generalized to different geographies, it may enable assessments of correlations of urbanicity with mental illness and resilience globally.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01204-7

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