Biological substrates of emotional reactivity and regulation in adolescence during an emotional go-nogo task.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Adolescence is a transition period from childhood to adulthood that is often characterized by emotional instability. This period is also a time of increased incidence of anxiety and depression, underscoring the importance of understanding biological substrates of behavioral and emotion regulation during adolescence. Developmental changes in the brain in concert with individual predispositions for anxiety might underlie the increased risk for poor outcomes reported during adolescence. We tested the hypothesis that difficulties in regulating behavior in emotional contexts in adolescents might be due to competition between heightened activity in subcortical emotional processing systems and immature top-down prefrontal systems. Individual differences in emotional reactivity

SUBMITTER: Hare TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2664095 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature