# Multimodal imaging biomarkers of cognitive control network deficits in youths with disruptive behavior

> **NIH NIH K23** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $192,391

## Abstract

Project Summary
The goal of the proposed project is to investigate functional and structural brain networks that predict disruptive
behavior in children. Disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) affect over 113 million youths worldwide and are
characterized by irritability/anger, aggression, noncompliance, and/or antisocial behavior. These disorders are
of great interest because they are highly predictive of delinquency, criminality, and substance abuse in later
adolescence and adulthood. DBD also co-occur in over 50% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A
large body of evidence links DBD with perturbations in frontoparietal circuitry that support the cognitive control
of emotion (i.e., emotion regulation), particularly connections between regions of the dorsal and ventral prefrontal
cortex (d/vPFC) and amygdala. However, it is unclear if dysregulation in emotion regulation circuitry can
contribute to a biomarker of DBD in children with and without ASD. With a focus on the amygdala-d/vPFC circuit,
this study will be the first to examine disruptions in brain-wide connectivity and structure in emotion regulation
networks as a transdiagnostic biomarker of DBD and disruptive behavior problems more broadly in children.
First, we will develop and test a multimodal imaging biomarker of DBD in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive
Development study dataset, which contains clinical and fMRI data for 11,878 9-12 year olds in the first and
second releases. Next, we will test the hypothesized disruptions in emotion regulation circuitry using a fMRI task
of cognitive reappraisal in a new, transdiagnostic sample of children with disruptive behavior with and without
ASD. This study will leverage cutting-edge neuroimaging analytics that resonate with several NIMH research
priorities: network neuroscience or connectomics, multimodal imaging, computational modeling (machine
learning), big data analytics, and the RDoC domain of cognitive control. The proposed research will push forward
the development of brain-based biomarkers of disruptive behavior that could guide development of targeted
interventions, refinement of existing treatments, or identify children likely to respond to a particular treatment.
The proposed project will prepare Dr. Karim Ibrahim to become an independent clinical researcher with a unique
niche and expertise in transdiagnostic brain biomarkers of emotion regulation in childhood-onset psychiatric
disorders using connectomics, multimodal imaging, and predictive modeling approaches. To accomplish this,
the proposed training will provide Dr. Karim Ibrahim with multidisciplinary training in network
neuroscience/connectomics, machine learning/predictive modeling, biostatistical approaches for the analysis of
large imaging datasets, and emotion regulation circuitry. The training and research are enhanced by the
intellectually rigorous environment at the Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychology. The
mentorship of a multidisciplinary team...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10705654
- **Project number:** 5K23MH128451-02
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Karim Ibrahim
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $192,391
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-16 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10705654

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10705654, Multimodal imaging biomarkers of cognitive control network deficits in youths with disruptive behavior (5K23MH128451-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10705654. Licensed CC0.

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