Adolescence is a period of dramatic developmental transitions - from puberty-related changes in hormones, bodies, and brains to a complex psychological reorientation to the social world. The concurrent and marked increase in the onset of many psychiatric syndromes has prompted the search for key developmental processes that drive changes in risk for psychopathology during this period of life. Pubertal development is a prime candidate, but the precise neurobiological mechanisms via which puberty impacts adolescent-emergent mental health problems are still unknown. Hormonal surges associated with pubertal development in early adolescence are believed to impact a range of factors associated with brain development, psychological motivations, and social behavior that have demonstrated associations with risk for mental health symptoms. Therefore, this complex transition spanning molecules, neural circuits, and behavior is particularly well-suited for investigation using the RDoC mechanism. The proposed research focuses on constructs from the RDoC domain of Systems for Social Processes that change rapidly during adolescence: Self-Knowledge, Understanding of Mental States, and Affiliation. We hypothesize that these social processes (and their underlying neural circuitry) mediate the known relationship between the biological cascade of development associated with puberty and adolescent-emergent mental health problems. Accordingly, this proposal aims to conduct a comprehensive multilevel investigation of the connections between social cognitive and biological changes during early adolescence, in order to reveal the ways in which these interconnected changes relate to risk for the emergence of a range of mental health problems that are known to be associated with pubertal development (i.e., symptoms of depression, anxiety, and deliberate self-harm). Specifically, we will accomplish this goal by conducting a prospective longitudinal neuroimaging study of adolescent girls including three waves of data collection separated by 18 months (initial N=170, age 11 1 years). At each time point we will assess: i) levels of adrenal and gonadal hormones associated with pubertal development, as well as anthropometric data and secondary sex characteristics; ii) brain structure, anatomical connectivity (diffusion tensor imaging), and resting-state functional connectivity; iii) social cognitive brain functioning and behavior (in two paradigms measuring self-evaluation, perspective-taking, and intrinsic value of self-disclosure); and iv) mental health symptoms (particularly of depression, anxiety, and deliberate self-harm). We will use advanced statistical modeling techniques to describe the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between developmental patterns in each of these domains. The project will therefore inform a mechanistic model of the association between developmental and psychopathological processes during this stage of life, one that will critically inform early intervention and prevention strategies.

Public Health Relevance

Because the transition from childhood to adolescence is a key inflection point in mental health across the lifespan, understanding the core mechanisms associated with adolescent-emergent mental health problems during this phase of life will not only enhance our knowledge of how mental illness emerges in vulnerable individuals, but also enable it to be translated into developmentally targeted approaches to early intervention and prevention. This study will provide a comprehensive picture of the pubertal, neurodevelopmental, and social psychological changes occurring during early adolescence, and their relationship to the emergence of mental health problems, so that modifiable, developmentally specific risk factors can be identified as targets for early intervention and prevention efforts. The ultimate goal is to build novel, developmentally targeted and biologically informed prevention and intervention services that leverage developmental plasticity to help all children, as well as those at higher risk, navigate the transition into and through adolescence with fewer mental health problems.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH107418-04
Application #
9475655
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1)
Program Officer
Murphy, Eric Rousseau
Project Start
2015-08-01
Project End
2020-04-30
Budget Start
2018-05-01
Budget End
2019-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Oregon
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Eugene
State
OR
Country
United States
Zip Code
97403
Anandakumar, Jeya; Mills, Kathryn L; Earl, Eric A et al. (2018) Individual differences in functional brain connectivity predict temporal discounting preference in the transition to adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 34:101-113
Telzer, Eva H; McCormick, Ethan M; Peters, Sabine et al. (2018) Methodological considerations for developmental longitudinal fMRI research. Dev Cogn Neurosci 33:149-160
Haller, Simone P W; Mills, Kathryn L; Hartwright, Charlotte E et al. (2018) When change is the only constant: The promise of longitudinal neuroimaging in understanding social anxiety disorder. Dev Cogn Neurosci 33:73-82
Vijayakumar, Nandita; Op de Macks, Zdena; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A et al. (2018) Puberty and the human brain: Insights into adolescent development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 92:417-436
Herting, Megan M; Johnson, Cory; Mills, Kathryn L et al. (2018) Development of subcortical volumes across adolescence in males and females: A multisample study of longitudinal changes. Neuroimage 172:194-205
Pfeifer, Jennifer H; Allen, Nicholas B; Byrne, Michelle L et al. (2018) Modeling Developmental Change: Contemporary Approaches to Key Methodological Challenges in Developmental Neuroimaging. Dev Cogn Neurosci 33:1-4
Vijayakumar, Nandita; Mills, Kathryn L; Alexander-Bloch, Aaron et al. (2018) Structural brain development: A review of methodological approaches and best practices. Dev Cogn Neurosci 33:129-148
Flannery, Jessica E; Giuliani, Nicole R; Flournoy, John C et al. (2017) Neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence in viewing and labeling dynamic peer emotions. Dev Cogn Neurosci 25:113-127
Tamnes, Christian K; Herting, Megan M; Goddings, Anne-Lise et al. (2017) Development of the Cerebral Cortex across Adolescence: A Multisample Study of Inter-Related Longitudinal Changes in Cortical Volume, Surface Area, and Thickness. J Neurosci 37:3402-3412
Vijayakumar, Nandita; Allen, Nicholas B; Dennison, Meg et al. (2017) Cortico-amygdalar maturational coupling is associated with depressive symptom trajectories during adolescence. Neuroimage 156:403-411

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