Predictors of Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts among School-Going Thai Adolescents: A Sex-Specific Structural Equation Modelling Analysis.

Spina bifida aperta or myelomeningocele (henceforth, SB) is the most common type of open neural defect and is associated with brain malformations and neurocognitive impairments [, , , , , , , , ]. In persons with SB, the prevalence of apolipoprotein E (APOE) allelic expression for heightened late‐onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) genetic risk (e.g., APOE E4 carriers) does not differ significantly from the general population []. However, it remains unclear if APOE allelic expression in individuals with SB may differentially impact regional brain structure or function during early, middle, and late life [, , , , , , ]. Using a prospective clinical sample of young adults with SB (age range of 19–46 years with a mean age of 28 ± 7.8), we sought to determine if APOE E4 carrier status had a similar impact on brain volumes in LOAD risk regions and if neurocognitive functioning is differentially impacted between E4 allele carriers and noncarriers. Patients with SB have many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities, such as structural changes in the posterior fossa and smaller cerebellar hippocampal and putamina but not amygdala volumes [, , , , , , , , , , ]. In addition, brain malformations of the cerebellum, hindbrain, midbrain, corpus callosum, and cortex and degree of ventriculomegaly and abnormal connections detected on MRI correlate with impaired neuropsychological abilities [, , , , , , , , , , , , ].