Developmental effects of aggressive behavior in male adolescents assessed with structural and functional brain imaging

Aggressive behavior is common during adolescence. Although aggression-related functional changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and frontopolar cortex (FPC) have been reported in adults, the neural correlates of aggressive behavior in adolescents, particularly in the context of struct...

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Published in:Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 2011-01, Vol.6 (1), p.2-11
Main Authors: Strenziok, Maren, Krueger, Frank, Heinecke, Armin, Lenroot, Rhoshel K., Knutson, Kristine M., van der Meer, Elke, Grafman, Jordan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Development - physiology
Age Factors
Aggression
Brain Mapping
Checklist
Emotions - physiology
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Original
Oxygen - blood
Prefrontal Cortex - anatomy & histology
Prefrontal Cortex - blood supply
Prefrontal Cortex - growth & development
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Summary:Aggressive behavior is common during adolescence. Although aggression-related functional changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and frontopolar cortex (FPC) have been reported in adults, the neural correlates of aggressive behavior in adolescents, particularly in the context of structural neurodevelopment, are obscure. We used functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the blood oxygenation level-depended signal and cortical thickness. In a block-designed experiment, 14–17-year old adolescents imagined aggressive and non-aggressive interactions with a peer. We show reduced vmPFC activation associated with imagined aggressive behavior as well as enhanced aggression-related activation and cortical thinning in the FPC with increasing age. Changes in FPC activation were also associated with judgments of the severity of aggressive acts. Reduced vmPFC activation was associated with greater aggression indicating its normal function is to exert inhibitory control over aggressive impulses. Concurrent FPC activation likely reflects foresight of harmful consequences that result from aggressive acts. The correlation of age-dependent activation changes and cortical thinning demonstrates ongoing maturation of the FPC during adolescence towards a refinement of social and cognitive information processing that can potentially facilitate mature social behavior in aggressive contexts.
ISSN:1749-5016
1749-5024
DOI:10.1093/scan/nsp036