ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1604474
Unveiling the Neural Signatures of Adolescents with Non-suicidal self-injury behavior: An fNIRS Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shenyang Jing'an Mental Health Hospital, Shenyang, China
- 2Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- 3First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shaanxi, China
- 4Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 5Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 6College of Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior among adolescents is a significant public health issue, which brings a range of adverse consequences.However, the specific mechanisms underlying this behavior remain unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the hemodynamic activation characteristics of adolescents with NSSI using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and to explore the correlation of cortical activation with NSSI behavior.Methods: Eighteen adolescents with NSSI behavior and 24 healthy controls (HCs) participated in this study. Cortical activation (frontal and temporal lobe hemodynamics) were examined using fNIRS. Self-harm frequency, Self-harm functions, and personality traits were assessed by OSI, NSSI -AT, and EPQ respectively.Results: The Δβ value in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area of the NSSI group was significantly higher than that of the HC group, and the activation level of the DLPFC showed a strong positive correlation with the social communication and the expression subscale of the NSSI-AT.The specific manifestation of DLPFC cortical activation in adolescents may serve as a candidate neural correlate for NSSI behavior. Targeted improvement of individual social skills and emotional expression abilities is expected to reduce NSSI behaviors.
Keywords: NSSI, Adolescent, fNIRS, DLPFC, candidate neural correlate
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 04 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Li, Niu, Li, Zhang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gaizhi Li, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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