Response Inhibition in Adolescents is Moderated by Brain Connectivity and Social Network Structure

Abstract

The social environment an individual is embedded in influences their ability and motivation to engage self-control processes, but little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying this effect. Many individuals successfully regulate their behavior even when they do not show strong activation in canonical self-control brain regions. Thus, individuals may rely on other resources to compensate, including daily experiences navigating and managing complex social relationships that likely bolster self-control processes. Here, we employed a network neuroscience approach to investigate the role of social context and social brain systems in facilitating self-control in adolescents. We measured brain activation using fMRI as 62 adolescents completed a Go/No-Go response inhibition task. We found that self-referential brain systems compensate for weaker activation in executive function brain systems, especially for adolescents with more friends and more communities in their social networks. Collectively, our results indicate a critical role for self-referential brain systems during the developmental trajectory of self-control throughout adolescence.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 06, 2020
Source ID
10.1093/scan/nsaa109

Entities

People

  • Christopher N. Cascio
  • Danielle Bassett
  • Emily B Falk
  • Jean M Vettel
  • Joseph B Bayer
  • Matthew Brook O’donnell
  • Steven H Tompson

Organizations

  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
  • Army Research Office
  • Institute for Scientific Interchange
  • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Science Foundation
  • Ohio State University
  • Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
  • United States Army Research Laboratory
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

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