Childhood material hardship, adolescent neuroinflammation, and brain connectivity as predictors of young adult mental health during COVID-19: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study

We are investigating how early-life adversity influences neuroinflammation, brain connectivity, and mental health vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the Future Families and Childhood Wellbeing Study — a well characterized longitudinal cohort followed since birth — we aim to understand how material hardship in childhood contributes to neuroinflammation and brain network connectivity in adolescence, and how these factors predict mental health outcomes in young adulthood during COVID.