Brain Regulatory Functions in Adolescents with Signs of Deviant Behavior. An Interdisciplinary Analysis

Abstract

We conducted a comparative interdisciplinary study of the brain regulatory functions in adolescents aged 13–16 years with (n = 82) and without (n = 125) signs of deviant behavior. The first group consisted of adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems at school and in interacting with their parents, as reported by school psychologists. We used standardized questionnaires to assess individual tendencies towards deviant behavior. The effectiveness of executive functions was assessed by neuropsychological examinations. The functioning of the brain regulatory systems was analyzed using the visual structural analysis of EEG traces. According to the results of EEG analysis, signs of deviant behavior correlated with suboptimal functioning of various parts of the brain regulatory systems (RS). In adolescents with signs of deviant behavior, the EEG patterns of limbic origin were most prominent and were observed significantly more often than in the control group. The same group differences were found for the EEG patterns of fronto-thalamic and fronto-basal origin as well as for EEG changes in the lateral frontal areas of the left hemisphere. Adolescents with the EEG signs of suboptimal functioning of different parts of RS demonstrated both common and specific tendencies towards deviant behavior and the deficiency of various components of voluntary control. At the same time, the same behavioral problems were accompanied by the EEG patterns of different origins. The obtained results suggest that suboptimal RS functioning is an important neurophysiological mechanism, which underlies behavioral deviations in adolescents. They also indicate the heterogeneous nature of deviant behavior and the need for individual assessment of the brain regulatory functions for the diagnostics and correction of behavioral deviations.