Problems with self-control are of major public health relevance as they are associated with physical and mental health, substance abuse and academic success impacting both individuals and society. The development of self-control is a critical step toward successful independence in young adulthood. Attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent disorder associated with elevated problems with self- control. We hypothesize that poor self-control in ADHD leads to their impaired academic achievement and poor high school graduation rates. An improved understanding of the developmental trajectory of self-control will lead to more focused and successful intervention programs. Despite the public health importance of self-control, no studies have directly tested how the underlying mechanisms that determine self-control develop. It is hypothesized that a balance between cognitive control and reward response processes determine degree of self-control functioning. This project will characterize for the first time how cognitive control and reward-related neural functioning during adolescence and early adulthood independently contribute to self-control in both healthy development and ADHD. We will assess how changes in brain development occur in a two system model of self-control, which includes cognitive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and reward processing (ventral striatum) systems, and how the systems relate to broader impairments associated with ADHD. An additional goal is to assess if brain activity associated with self-control can serve as a biomarker for predicting academic performance. At the conclusion of these studies we will be able to identify age-related specific targets and recommendations for improving self-control. This work is a team effort by ADHD and functional imaging cognitive control researchers Julie Schweitzer and Catherine Fassbender at the UC Davis MIND Institute;Amanda Guyer at UC Davis with expertise in reward and emotional systems in neurodevelopment;Jamal Abedi at UC Davis with proficiency in measuring academic outcomes;and from Stanford University Samuel McClure, developer of the two-system model of self- control in neuro-economics, and Wouter van den Bos with experience in the development of social and reward based decision-making. Stephen Hinshaw at UC Berkeley brings to the contribution experience in ADHD, diagnostic issues, longitudinal research methods, measurement of academic issues in ADHD and general outcome research methods associated with the disorder. The geographic proximity of these collaborators from northern California will help to facilitate this collaboration. This project is consistent with th aims of the NIMH Strategic Plan Objective 2: """"""""Charting Mental Illness Trajectories to Determine When, Where and How to Intervene."""""""" The project also overlaps with NIDA Strategic Plan Goal 1: """"""""To prevent the initiation of drug use and the escalation to addiction"""""""" considering ADHD and problems with self-control are related to higher rates of substance abuse.

Public Health Relevance

as they are associated with physical and mental health, substance abuse and academic success impacting both individuals and society. The development of self-control is a critical step toward successful independence in young adulthood. Attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent disorder associated with elevated problems with self- control. We hypothesize that poor self-control in ADHD leads to their impaired academic achievement and poor high school graduation rates. An improved understanding of the developmental trajectory of self-control will lead to more focused and successful intervention programs. Despite the public health importance of self-control, no studies have directly tested how the underlying mechanisms that determine self-control develop. It is hypothesized that a balance between cognitive control and reward response processes determine degree of self-control functioning. This project will characterize for the first time how cognitive control and reward-related neural functioning during adolescence and early adulthood independently contribute to self-control in both healthy development and ADHD. We will assess how changes in brain development occur in a two system model of self-control, which includes cognitive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and reward processing (ventral striatum) systems, and how the systems relate to broader impairments associated with ADHD. An additional goal is to assess if brain activity associated with self-control can serve as a biomarker for predicting academic performance. At the conclusion of these studies we will be able to identify age-related specific targets and recommendations for improving self-control. This work is a team effort by ADHD and functional imaging cognitive control researchers Julie Schweitzer and Catherine Fassbender at the UC Davis MIND Institute;Amanda Guyer at UC Davis with expertise in reward and emotional systems in neurodevelopment;Jamal Abedi at UC Davis with proficiency in measuring academic outcomes;and from Stanford University Samuel McClure, developer of the two-system model of self- control in neuro-economics, and Wouter van den Bos with experience in the development of social and reward based decision-making. Stephen Hinshaw at UC Berkeley brings to the contribution experience in ADHD, diagnostic issues, longitudinal research methods, measurement of academic issues in ADHD and general outcome research methods associated with the disorder. The geographic proximity of these collaborators from northern California will help to facilitate this collaboration. This project is consistent with th aims of the NIMH Strategic Plan Objective 2: Charting Mental Illness Trajectories to Determine When, Where and How to Intervene. The project also overlaps with NIDA Strategic Plan Goal 1: To prevent the initiation of drug use and the escalation to addiction considering ADHD and problems with self-control are related to higher rates of substance abuse.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH091068-02
Application #
8530283
Study Section
Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section (CPDD)
Program Officer
Friedman-Hill, Stacia
Project Start
2012-08-15
Project End
2016-05-31
Budget Start
2013-06-01
Budget End
2014-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$719,723
Indirect Cost
$233,955
Name
University of California Davis
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
047120084
City
Davis
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
95618
Fassbender, Catherine; Mukherjee, Prerona; Schweitzer, Julie B (2017) Minimizing noise in pediatric task-based functional MRI; Adolescents with developmental disabilities and typical development. Neuroimage 149:338-347
Cavagnaro, Daniel R; Aranovich, Gabriel J; McClure, Samuel M et al. (2016) On the Functional Form of Temporal Discounting: An Optimized Adaptive Test. J Risk Uncertain 52:233-254
Guyer, Amanda E; Silk, Jennifer S; Nelson, Eric E (2016) The neurobiology of the emotional adolescent: From the inside out. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 70:74-85
Hartanto, T A; Krafft, C E; Iosif, A M et al. (2016) A trial-by-trial analysis reveals more intense physical activity is associated with better cognitive control performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Child Neuropsychol 22:618-26
Besemer, Sytske; Loeber, Rolf; Hinshaw, Stephen P et al. (2016) Bidirectional Associations Between Externalizing Behavior Problems and Maladaptive Parenting Within Parent-Son Dyads Across Childhood. J Abnorm Child Psychol 44:1387-98
Brahmbhatt, Khyati; Hilty, Donald M; Hah, Mina et al. (2016) Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder During Adolescence in the Primary Care Setting: A Concise Review. J Adolesc Health 59:135-43
Aranovich, Gabriel J; McClure, Samuel M; Fryer, Susanna et al. (2016) The effect of cognitive challenge on delay discounting. Neuroimage 124:733-739
Rodriguez, Christian A; Turner, Brandon M; Van Zandt, Trisha et al. (2015) The neural basis of value accumulation in intertemporal choice. Eur J Neurosci 42:2179-89
Schweitzer, Julie B; Riggins, Tracy; Liang, Xia et al. (2015) Prenatal drug exposure to illicit drugs alters working memory-related brain activity and underlying network properties in adolescence. Neurotoxicol Teratol 48:69-77
Romens, Sarah E; Casement, Melynda D; McAloon, Rose et al. (2015) Adolescent girls' neural response to reward mediates the relation between childhood financial disadvantage and depression. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 56:1177-84

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