Adolescence

An exploration of dimensions of early adversity and the development of functional brain network connectivity during adolescence: Implications for trajectories of internalizing symptoms

Different dimensions of adversity may affect mental health through distinct neurobiological mechanisms, though current supporting evidence consists largely of cross-sectional associations between threat or deprivation and fronto-limbic circuitry. In …

Early Life Stress and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence: Implications for Risk and Adaptation

An alarming high proportion of youth experience at least one kind of stressor in childhood and/or adolescence. Exposure to early life stress is associated with increased risk for psychopathology, accelerated biological aging, and poor physical …

Sex-specific vulnerability to depressive symptoms across adolescence and during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of the cingulum bundle

Background Females are at higher risk for developing depression during adolescence than are males, particularly during exposure to stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining structural connections between brain regions involved in executive …

Testing a Developmental Model of Positive Parenting, Amygdala–Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex Connectivity, and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Neurobiological measures may inform our understanding of individual differences in adolescents’ general risk for and resilience to depressive symptoms, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. We tested a developmental model linking …

Greater age-related changes in white matter morphometry following early life stress: Associations with internalizing problems in adolescence

Early life stress (ELS) is associated with increased risk for internalizing disorders and variations in gray matter development. It is unclear, however, whether ELS affects normative age-related changes in white matter (WM) morphology, and if such …

Sex differences in pubertal associations with fronto-accumbal white matter morphometry: Implications for understanding sensitivity to reward and punishment

Researchers have reported sex-differentiated maturation of white matter (WM) during puberty. It is not clear, however, whether such distinctions contribute to documented sex differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment during adolescence. …

Associations of Irritability With Functional Connectivity of Amygdala and Nucleus Accumbens in Adolescents and Young Adults With ADHD

Objective: Irritability is a common characteristic in ADHD. We examined whether dysfunction in neural connections supporting threat and reward processing was related to irritability in adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Method: We used …

Correlates and predictors of the severity of suicidal ideation in adolescence: an examination of brain connectomics and psychosocial characteristics

Background Suicidal ideation (SI) typically emerges during adolescence but is challenging to predict. Given the potentially lethal consequences of SI, it is important to identify neurobiological and psychosocial variables explaining the severity of …

Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Effects of COVID-19-Related Stress and Family Adversity on Emotional Problems in Adolescents: Testing Models of Differential Susceptibility and Diathesis Stress

The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique period of stress and uncertainty that will have significant implications for adolescent mental health. Nevertheless, stress about COVID-19 may be more consequential for some adolescents’ mental health than for …

Higher Executive Control Network Coherence Buffers Against Puberty-Related Increases in Internalizing Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Early pubertal maturation has been posited to be a biopsychosocial risk factor for the onset of internalizing psychopathology in adolescence; further, early-maturing youths exhibit heightened reactivity to stressful events. School closures …