title: Thinning of the lateral prefrontal cortex during adolescence predicts emotion regulation in females.
abstract: Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Despite the fact that structural maturation of the prefrontal cortex during adolescence is often assumed to underlie the maturation of emotion regulation strategies, no longitudinal studies have directly assessed this relationship. This study examined whether use of cognitive reappraisal strategies during late adolescence was predicted by (i) absolute prefrontal cortical thickness during early adolescence and (ii) structural maturation of the prefrontal cortex between early and mid-adolescence. Ninety-two adolescents underwent baseline and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging scans when they were aged approximately 12 and 16 years, respectively. FreeSurfer software was used to obtain cortical thickness estimates for three prefrontal regions [anterior cingulate cortex; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC); ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC)]. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was completed when adolescents were aged approximately 19 years. Results showed that greater cortical thinning of the left dlPFC and left vlPFC during adolescence was significantly associated with greater use of cognitive reappraisal in females, though no such relationship was evident in males. Furthermore, baseline left dlPFC thickness predicted cognitive reappraisal at trend level. These findings suggest that cortical maturation may play a role in the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies during adolescence.
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Nandita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vijayakumar
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whittle
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yücel
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Meg
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.affiliation: 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia 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, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, and Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia nba@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nicholas B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescence; cognitive reappraisal; cortical development; emotion regulation; longitudinal study