# Mapping the functional organization of the cortex across development: The principal hierarchy and transdiagnostic psychopathology risk

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $53,974

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Mental illness is increasingly understood through the lens of brain development, as these disorders are
highly heritable and often emerge during the transition from childhood to adulthood. Thus, it is essential to
investigate functional brain development and its genetic underpinnings. The adult human cortex is organized
along a principal hierarchy indexed by functional MRI connectivity, anchored on one end by regions involved in
perception and action and on the other by regions responsible for abstract cognition. The extent to which the
cortex functionally aligns with this hierarchy has been associated with both development and diverse
psychopathology, suggesting that abnormal hierarchical development may be mechanistically related to broad
psychiatric vulnerability. Using a normative modeling framework, this proposal will test the overarching
hypothesis that deviations in the development of the principal hierarchy are associated with transdiagnostic
psychopathology burden and genetic risk. To do so, I will use four large-scale developmental datasets that
include fMRI and clinical data: the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC, N=1,559), the Lifespan
Human Connectome Project in Development (HCP-D, N=1,350), the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample
(NKI-RS, N=426) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (ABCD, N=11,878). This proposal
aims to 1) investigate how deviations in principal hierarchy development relate to transdiagnostic clinical
psychopathology., and 2) investigate the role of the principal hierarchy as an intermediate phenotype of genetic
risk for transdiagnostic psychopathology. This work will advance our understanding of functional cortical
development, its genetic basis, and its relationship to the emergence of psychiatric risk. Findings from this
study will lay a foundation for future endeavors to identify diagnostic markers, therapeutic targets, and
interventional windows of opportunity for neuropsychiatric disorders. Study feasibility will be ensured by expert
guidance from an integrated mentorship team comprised of Drs. Aaron Alexander-Bloch, Theodore
Satterthwaite, Dylan Tisdall, Monica Calkins, and Laura Almasy. Mentorship from these experts, along with a
coordinated program of coursework, seminars, workshops, conferences, and clinical training, will provide the
applicant with rigorous training in functional MRI, developmental psychopathology, and psychiatric genetics,
enabling him to pursue a future career as an independently-funded physician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10996028
- **Project number:** 1F30MH138048-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin Sun
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $53,974
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10996028

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10996028, Mapping the functional organization of the cortex across development: The principal hierarchy and transdiagnostic psychopathology risk (1F30MH138048-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10996028. Licensed CC0.

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