CC BY 4.0Bonnekoh, Linda MeredithLinda MeredithBonnekohGruber, MariusMariusGruberThams, CathrineCathrineThamsFlinkenflügel, KiraKiraFlinkenflügelMeinert, Susanne L.Susanne L.MeinertGoltermann, JanikJanikGoltermannGrotegerd, DominikDominikGrotegerdHubbert, JuliaJuliaHubbertKrieger, JudithJudithKriegerJurischka, ChristophChristophJurischkaFellmeth, Ruth HelenaRuth HelenaFellmethWinter, Nils RalfNils RalfWinterHahn, TimTimHahnLeehr, Elisabeth JohannaElisabeth JohannaLeehrOpel, NilsNilsOpelPawlitzki, Marc G.Marc G.PawlitzkiRehm, PaulaPaulaRehmWerthern, Nina vonNina vonWerthernEdwin Thanarajah, SharmiliSharmiliEdwin ThanarajahFischer, StefanieStefanieFischerAhrens, Kira F.Kira F.AhrensReif, AndreasAndreasReifStein, FrederikeFrederikeSteinThomas-Odenthal, FlorianFlorianThomas-OdenthalUsemann, PaulaPaulaUsemannTeutenberg, LeaLeaTeutenbergStaub, HenryHenryStaubMeinert, HannahHannahMeinertAlexander, Nina C.Nina C.AlexanderJamalabadi, HamidrezaHamidrezaJamalabadiJansen, AndreasAndreasJansenvan den Heuvel, Martijn P.Martijn P.van den HeuvelNenadić, IgorIgorNenadićStraube, BenjaminBenjaminStraubeRömer, GeorgGeorgRömerKircher, Tilo T.J.Tilo T.J.KircherDannlowski, UdoUdoDannlowskiRepple, JonathanJonathanRepple2025-10-272025-10-272025https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/497784https://doi.org/10.24406/publica-589510.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.09.00910.24406/publica-58952-s2.0-10501910320641086650Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) is a crucial risk factor for affective disorders and schizophrenia, which are linked to structural brain network alterations. We hypothesized a significant association between CM and brain structural connectivity in a transdiagnostic sample. Participants included patients with major depressive disorder (n = 827), bipolar disorder (n = 134), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (n = 118), and healthy controls (n = 932) aged 18–65 from the Marburg-Muenster Affective Disorders Cohort Study. Structural brain networks were reconstructed from structural and diffusion-weighted MRI. CM was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) based on established cut-offs. Analyses of covariance investigated the main effect of CM and the interaction of diagnosis and CM on global network metrics. In addition, network-based statistic (NBS) analyses were performed to identify the underlying subnetworks. History of CM was positively associated with the number of connections (pFDR=0.01; CM: 95 %-CI=[533.9; 540.6], No CM: 95 %-CI=[529.1; 535.0]), normalized (pFDR=0.02; CM: 95 %-CI=[0.860; 0.863], No CM: 95 %-CI=[0.857; 0.860]) and non-normalized network efficiency (pFDR=0.01; CM: 95 %-CI=[0.405; 0.407], No CM: 95 %-CI=[0.403; 0.405]) and negatively associated with normalized network clustering (pFDR=0.045; CM: 95 %-CI=[4.976; 5.065], No CM: 95 %-CI=[5.100; 5.150]). There were no significant interaction effects of CM and diagnosis. NBS analyses revealed a large network of edges, in which individuals with CM exhibited higher structural connectivity compared to those without, which persisted after correcting for diagnosis. These findings indicate a connectome signature of CM, marked by hyperconnectivity, across major mental disorders and in healthy individuals, suggesting that CM affects connectome architecture independent of present psychiatric diagnoses.entrueChildhood abuseCTQGraph theoryNetwork-based analysesStructural connectivityTransdiagnosticjournal article