Deakin University
Browse
vijayakumar-developmentoftemper-2014.pdf (750.06 kB)

Development of temperamental effortful control mediates the relationship between maturation of the prefrontal cortex and psychopathology during adolescence: a 4-year longitudinal study

Download (750.06 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2014-07-01, 00:00 authored by Nandi VijayakumarNandi Vijayakumar, S Whittle, M Dennison, M Yücel, J Simmons, N B Allen
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. © 2013 The Authors.

History

Journal

Developmental cognitive neuroscience

Volume

9

Pagination

30 - 43

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

1878-9293

eISSN

1878-9307

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2013, The Authors