Fig. 3: Path diagram illustrating the association between PGS-CRP and externalizing psychopathology, partially mediated by mean cortical thickness change.
The pathway demonstrates that higher PGS-CRP was associated with accelerated cortical thinning, which, in turn, predicted increased externalizing symptoms. However, the mediation was partial (4% of total effect), as PGS-CRP also has a direct effect on externalizing psychopathology, indicating that the behavioral outcomes are not solely explained by cortical thinning. Statistical analysis was conducted using two-sided structural equation modeling. Indirect (mediation) effects were estimated using 1,000 bootstrap samples with bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals. All reported paths include standardized coefficients (beta/β) with exact P values, including FDR-corrected P values (PFDR), and bootstrap confidence intervals are provided in Supplementary Table 4.
