# Building a multi-factor etiological model of the emergence of general psychopathology (the "P factor") in adolescence with multi-modal neuroimaging in ABCD

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $390,000

## Abstract

Abstract
There is substantial evidence that psychopathology is structured hierarchically. In addition to two major specific
factors, internalizing and externalizing, there is a single overarching general factor, the “P factor”, that explains
a sizable share of variance in psychiatric symptoms. The P factor model represents a major recent advance in
our understanding of the architecture of psychopathology. However, there is a critical gap in our current
knowledge: We have little understanding of the neurodevelopmental etiological factors that produce the P
factor during youth.
We have an ideal opportunity to address this gap with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)
longitudinal study (n=11,875; 4 biennial waves of data over the course of this five-year grant). We have
formulated a Dual Dysmaturation Model in which the P factor arises from altered maturation during
adolescence in two systems: executive control systems (leading to globally reduced higher-order cognition and
inhibitory control) and impulse generation systems (leading to globally elevated impulse generation). We have
also undertaken a comprehensive analysis of psychopathology data in ABCD to derive and validate a
superordinate general psychopathology factor (“P factor”). Our overarching aim in this project is to build on
these results and delineate the multi-factor etiology of the P factor in youth in ABCD, integrating knowledge
across socio-environmental, psychological, neural, and genetic levels of analysis.
More specifically we seek to achieve four aims. Aim 1 uses a latent growth modeling approach to quantify co-
development of psychological variables (including executive functions, negative emotions, and aggressive
impulses) with the emergence of the P factor over adolescence. In Aim 2, we use advanced methods to
fractionate brain imaging maps into a small number of cohesive components. We then use latent growth
modeling to identify brain components that co-develop with the P factor. For Aim 3, we delineate genetic
factors that contribute to the P factor. For this aim, we identify brain components that mediate the relationship
between polygenic risk for the P factor and the emergence of the P factor in late adolescence. For the Aim 4,
we integrate the preceding factors (psychological, neural, and genetic) with additional socio-environmental
variables to build an overall nomological network for the emergence of the P factor, and we distinguish this
network from analogous networks for the emergence of internalizing and externalizing specific factors.
By bringing together the seminal ABCD dataset and advanced multivariate multi-modal neuroimaging methods,
this project will give us important new mechanistic insights into the multi-factor neurodevelopmental etiology of
the P factor. This knowledge is a key input to downstream research programs, such as programs that seek to
identify high-risk youth or to develop interventions that mitigate or block the emergence of psych...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10208288
- **Project number:** 1R01MH123458-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Chandra Sekhar Sripada
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $390,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10208288

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10208288, Building a multi-factor etiological model of the emergence of general psychopathology (the "P factor") in adolescence with multi-modal neuroimaging in ABCD (1R01MH123458-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10208288. Licensed CC0.

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