Development of temperamental effortful control mediates the relationship between maturation of the prefrontal cortex and psychopathology during adolescence: a 4-year longitudinal study.
This study investigated the relationship between the development of effortful control (EC), a temperamental measure of self-regulation, and concurrent development of three regions of the prefrontal cortex (anterior cingulate cortex, ACC; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dlPFC; ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, vlPFC) between early- and mid-adolescence. It also examined whether development of EC mediated the relationship between cortical maturation and emotional and behavioral symptoms. Ninety-two adolescents underwent baseline assessments when they were approximately 12 years old and follow-up assessments approximately 4 years later. At each assessment, participants had MRI scans and completed the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised, as well as measures of depressive and anxious symptoms, and aggressive and risk taking behavior. Cortical thicknesses of the ACC, dlPFC and vlPFC, estimated using the FreeSurfer software, were found to decrease over time. EC also decreased over time in females. Greater thinning of the left ACC was associated with less reduction in EC. Furthermore, change in effortful control mediated the relationship between greater thinning of the left ACC and improvements in socioemotional functioning, including reductions in psychopathological symptoms. These findings highlight the dynamic association between EC and the maturation of the anterior cingulate cortex, and the importance of this relationship for socioemotional functioning during adolescence.
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Nandita
N
Vijayakumar
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia.
Sarah
S
Whittle
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Meg
M
Dennison
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia.
Murat
M
Yücel
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Julian
J
Simmons
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: nba@unimelb.edu.au.
Nicholas B
NB
Allen
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D011599:Psychopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescence; Cortical development; Effortful control; Longitudinal study; Self-regulation