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The Influences of Age and Pubertal Stage on Neuroanatomical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Poster No:

966

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Erynn Christensen¹, Katharina Brosch¹, Lisa Wiersch¹, Elvisha Dhamala¹

Institutions:

¹Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Glen Oaks, NY

First Author:

Erynn Christensen
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Glen Oaks, NY

Co-Author(s):

Katharina Brosch
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Glen Oaks, NY

Lisa Wiersch
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Glen Oaks, NY

Elvisha Dhamala
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Glen Oaks, NY

Introduction:

Puberty represents rapid physical, emotional and neurocognitive changes, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. Neurocognitive development across adolescence is well documented, involving neuroanatomical changes of cortical and subcortical regions associated with the development of complex reasoning skills, working memory and other executive functions that shape decision-making. Typically, research looking at neurocognitive development in adolescence is focused on age-related relationships. However, with puberty starting at younger ages, especially for females, it raises the question of whether age-related benchmarks are the most effective way to understand this developmental period. Using a large longitudinal dataset (ABCD Study), we investigated the extent to which age and pubertal stage influence brain and cognitive development across adolescence (9-15yrs).

Methods:

Data from the Flanker, Pattern Comparison Task (PCT), and the Little Man Task (LMT), age, the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS), and cortical and subcortical MRI were collected at baseline (N=9766, 48% females), 2- (N=7520, 47% females) and 4- (N=2818, 48% females) year follow-ups. Using the Desikan-Killiany parcelation, we investigated gray matter volume of the superior frontal, rostral middle frontal, lateral orbitofrontal, and medial orbitofrontal cortices, as well as the amygdala, caudate, and hippocampus. These regions were chosen based on prior research highlighting their developmental changes across adolescence and critical role in cognitive functioning. A linear mixed-effects model, with subject ID as a random intercept, was used to examine the effects of age, PDS, their interaction, and sex as predictors for each cognitive task and region of interest separately. Additionally, for the cortical and subcortical models, site was included as a random intercept and intracranial volume modeled as a covariate.

Results:

Our cognitive models revealed better Flanker and LMT performance was predicted by age, but not pubertal stage (β=2.04, p<.001 for Flanker, β=-236, p<.001 for LMT). For PCT, age (β=5.50, p<.001) and pubertal stage (β=0.32, p=0.02) significantly positively predicted task performance, with age having a larger effect. The interaction between age and pubertal stage predicted PCT (β=-0.22, p<.001) and LMT (β=6.11, p=.002) but not Flanker performance. Visual inspection of the interaction plots and simple slopes (SS) analyses revealed that, at younger ages, PDS had a stronger positive effect on performance in both PCT (p<.001) and LMT (p<.001). However, at older ages, PDS had a negative impact on performance in both tasks (p<.001 for both). Age significantly predicted both cortical and subcortical volume for all ROIs, with the largest effect. Pubertal stage independently predicted cortical volume in all ROIs but only significantly predicted bilateral amygdala and left hippocampus volume. Sex significantly predicted left hippocampal volume. A significant interaction effect was found between age and pubertal stage for the rostral middle frontal cortex and left hippocampus. Standardized betas and standard error estimates are shown in Figure 1. Interaction plots and SS analysis showed that, at older ages, PDS had a stronger negative relationship with rostral middle frontal cortex volume (p<.001), while at younger ages, PDS had a stronger positive impact on left hippocampal volume (p<.001).

·Table showing the standardized beta coefficient and standard error for each of the linear mixed effects models; ICV: Intercranial volume; PDS: Pubertal Development Scale; *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001.

Conclusions:

Age is the strongest predictor of brain volume and cognitive development throughout adolescence. However, pubertal development, both independently of and interacting with age, plays a significant role in the development of specific cortical and subcortical brain regions and cognitive functions. Therefore, pubertal maturation could be key in refining our understanding of neurocognitive changes during adolescence. This is especially important for individuals with atypical pubertal development, as deviations in this process may affect the maturation of neurocognitive functions.

Higher Cognitive Functions:

Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making ²

Lifespan Development:

Early life, Adolescence, Aging ¹

Neuroanatomy, Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:

Cortical Anatomy and Brain Mapping

Normal Development

Subcortical Structures

Keywords:

Aging

Cognition

Cortex

Development

Sub-Cortical

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

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