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Global urbanicity is associated with brain and behaviour in young people

Author

Listed:
  • Jiayuan Xu

    (Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
    SGDP Centre, King’s College London)

  • 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
    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
    University of Mannheim)

  • 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
    Heidelberg University)

  • Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos

    (Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Herve Lemaitre

    (Université Paris-Saclay NeuroSpin)

  • Tomáš Paus

    (University of Montreal
    University of Toronto)

  • 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
    Freie Universität Berlin)

  • 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
    University of Hong Kong)

  • 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
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Gunter Schumann

    (Fudan University
    Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • 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, 2022. "Global urbanicity is associated with brain and behaviour in young people," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 279-293, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:6:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1038_s41562-021-01204-7
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01204-7
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    Cited by:

    1. Bin Chen & Shengbiao Wu & Yimeng Song & Chris Webster & Bing Xu & Peng Gong, 2022. "Contrasting inequality in human exposure to greenspace between cities of Global North and Global South," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.

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