Brain Activity In Adolescents Research Articles

Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial

The ability to understand emotional experiences of others, empathy, is a valuable skill for effective social interactions. Various types of training increase empathy in adolescents, but their impact on brain circuits underlying empathy has not been examined. Video games provide a unique medium familiar and engaging to adolescents and can be used to deliver training at scale. We developed an empathy training video game, Crystals of Kaydor (Crystals), and investigated whether playing Crystals increases empathic accuracy (EA) and related brain activation in adolescents (N = 74; 27 female; mean age(sd) = 12.8(0.7) years; age range 11–14 years). Participants completed a resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scan and an EA task during an fMRI scan before and after 2 weeks of daily gameplay with either the empathy training game, Crystals (N = 34), or the commercial video game Bastion (N = 40), an active control condition. There were no group differences in EA improvement following gameplay, however, engagement with training aspects of Crystals was associated with a higher increase in EA-related activation in right temporoparietal junction following gameplay. Moreover, rs-fMRI connectivity in empathy-related brain circuits (posterior cingulate–medial prefrontal cortex; MPFC) was stronger after Crystals gameplay compared to Bastion. The more individuals’ EA increased following Crystals versus Bastion, the stronger their rs-fMRI connectivity in brain circuits relevant for emotion regulation (amygdala-MPFC). These findings suggest that a video game designed to increase empathic accuracy produces behaviorally-relevant, functional neural changes in fewer than 6 h of gameplay in adolescents.

Error-related brain activity in adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depressive disorder.

The error-related negativity (ERN) is a negative deflection in the event-related potential following a mistake that is often increased in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The relationship of the ERN to comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) has not been examined in adolescents with OCD. This study compared ERN amplitudes in OCD patients with MDD (OCD+MDD), OCD patients without MDD (OCD-MDD), MDD patients, and healthy controls (HC). The ERN, correct response negativity, and accuracy were measured during a flanker task to assess performance monitoring in 53 adolescents with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD, 36 adolescents with a lifetime diagnosis of MDD, and 89 age-matched HC of 13-18 years. Fourteen OCD patients had a history of MDD. ERN amplitude was significantly increased in OCD patients compared to HC and significantly correlated in OCD patients with age at OCD symptom onset, particularly in the OCD - MDD patients. The ERN was significantly enlarged in OCD+MDD patients compared to HC, but not in MDD patients compared to HC. There was a trend for an increased ERN amplitude in OCD - MDD patients compared to HC. OCD patients were significantly less accurate than either MDD patients or HC. An enlarged ERN is a neural correlate of adolescent OCD that is associated with age at OCD symptom onset. Adolescents with OCD may have impaired cognitive control on a flanker task. Follow-up studies with larger samples may determine whether an enlarged ERN in adolescents with OCD is associated with a higher risk for MDD.

A Computational Account of Optimizing Social Predictions Reveals That Adolescents Are Conservative Learners in Social Contexts.

As adolescents transition to the complex world of adults, optimizing predictions about others' preferences becomes vital for successful social interactions. Mounting evidence suggests that these social learning processes are affected by ongoing brain development across adolescence. A mechanistic understanding of how adolescents optimize social predictions and how these learning strategies are implemented in the brain is lacking. To fill this gap, we combined computational modeling with functional neuroimaging. In a novel social learning task, male and female human adolescents and adults predicted the preferences of peers and could update their predictions based on trial-by-trial feedback about the peers' actual preferences. Participants also rated their own preferences for the task items and similar additional items. To describe how participants optimize their inferences over time, we pitted simple reinforcement learning models against more specific "combination" models, which describe inferences based on a combination of reinforcement learning from past feedback and participants' own preferences. Formal model comparison revealed that, of the tested models, combination models best described how adults and adolescents update predictions of others. Parameter estimates of the best-fitting model differed between age groups, with adolescents showing more conservative updating. This developmental difference was accompanied by a shift in encoding predictions and the errors thereof within the medial prefrontal and fusiform cortices. In the adolescent group, encoding of own preferences and prediction errors scaled with parent-reported social traits, which provides additional external validity for our learning task and the winning computational model. Our findings thus help to specify adolescent-specific social learning processes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adolescence is a unique developmental period of heightened awareness about other people. Here we probe the suitability of various computational models to describe how adolescents update their predictions of others' preferences. Within the tested model space, predictions of adults and adolescents are best described by the same learning model, but adolescents show more conservative updating. Compared with adults, brain activity of adolescents is modulated less by predictions themselves and more by prediction errors per se, and this relationship scales with adolescents' social traits. Our findings help specify social learning across adolescence and generate hypotheses about social dysfunctions in psychiatric populations.

Exercise, cognition, and the adolescent brain.

Few adolescents engage in the recommended levels of physical activity, and daily exercise levels tend to drastically decrease throughout adolescence. Beyond physical health benefits, regular exercise may also have important implications for the teenage brain and cognitive and academic capabilities. This narrative review examines how physical activity and aerobic exercise relate to school performance, cognition, and brain structure and function. A number of studies have found that habitual exercise and physical activity are associated with academic performance, cognitive function, brain structure, and brain activity in adolescents. We also discuss how additional intervention studies that examine a wide range of neurological and cognitive outcomes are necessary, as well as characterizing the type, frequency, and dose of exercise and identifying individual differences that contribute to how exercise may benefit the teen brain. Routine exercise relates to adolescent brain structure and function as well as cognitive performance. Together, these studies suggest that physical activity and aerobic exercise may be important factors for optimal adolescent brain development.

Functional resonance magnetic imaging (fMRI) in adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain: a paradigm of experimental pain

BackgroundStudies on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that adults with musculoskeletal pain syndromes tolerate smaller amount of pressure (pain) as well as differences in brain activation patterns in areas related to pain.The objective of this study was to evaluate, through fMRI, the brain activation in adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain (IMP) while performing an experimental paradigm of pain.MethodsThe study included 10 consecutive adolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain (average age 16.3±1.0) and 10 healthy adolescents age-matched. fMRI exams were performed in a 3 T scanner (Magnetom Trio, Siemens) using an event-related design paradigm. Pressure stimuli were performed in the nondominant hand thumb, divided into two stages, fixed pain and variable pain.The two local Research Ethics Committees (Ethics Committee from Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Brazil, process number 0688/11, on July 1st, 2011 and Ethics Committee from Hospital Israelita Albert Einsten – Brazil, process number 1673, on October 19th, 2011) approved the study.ResultsThe idiopathic musculoskeletal pain (IMP) group showed a reduced threshold for pain (3.7 kg/cm2 versus 4.45 kg/cm2, p = 0.005). Control group presented increased bain activation when compared to IMP group in the following areas: thalamus (p = 0.00001), precentral gyrus (p = 0.0004) and middle frontal gyrus (p = 0.03). In intragroup analysis, IMP group showed greater brain activation during the unpredictable stimuli of the variable pain stage, especially in the lingual gyrus (p = 0.0001), frontal lobe (p = 0.0001), temporal gyrus (p = 0.0001) and precentral gyrus (p = 0.03), when compared to predictable stimulus of fixed pain. The same intragroup analysis with the control group showed greater activation during the unpredictable stimuli in regions of the precentral gyrus (p = 0.0001), subcallosal area (p = 0.0001), right and left occipital fusiform gyrus (p = 0.0001; (p = 0.0007), middle gyrus (p = 0.01) and precuneus p = (0.02).ConclusionAdolescents with idiopathic musculoskeletal pain (IMP) tend to request higher brain function in cognitive-emotional areas when interpreting unpredictable sensory-perceptual situations. Therefore, it is assumed that this difference in pain processing in adolescents with IMP make the subjective experience of pain something more intense and unpleasant.

Changes in choice evoked brain activations after a weight loss intervention in adolescents

This study was aimed to investigate if treatment-related success in weight loss (i.e., reductions of BMI and fat percentage) is linked to significant changes in choice evoked brain activity in adolescents with excess weight. Sixteen adolescents with excess weight (age range: 12–18; BMI range: 22–36) performed the Risky-Gains Task during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) both before and after a 12-week weight loss intervention. Success in weight loss was selectively associated with increased activation in the anterior insula. We concluded that adolescents with the greatest increases in activation of the insula-related interoceptive neural circuitry also show greater reductions in BMI and fat mass.

Effects of outcome on the covariance between risk level and brain activity in adolescents with internet gaming disorder.

Individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) often have impaired risky decision-making abilities, and IGD-related functional changes have been observed during neuroimaging studies of decision-making tasks. However, it is still unclear how feedback (outcomes of decision-making) affects the subsequent risky decision-making in individuals with IGD. In this study, twenty-four adolescents with IGD and 24 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the balloon analog risk task (BART) to evaluate the effects of prior outcomes on brain activity during subsequent risky decision-making in adolescents with IGD. The covariance between risk level and activation of the bilateral ventral medial prefrontal cortex, left inferior frontal cortex, right ventral striatum (VS), left hippocampus/parahippocampus, right inferior occipital gyrus/fusiform gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus demonstrated interaction effects of group by outcome (P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction). The regions with interactive effects were defined as ROI, and ROI-based intergroup comparisons showed that the covariance between risk level and brain activation was significantly greater in adolescents with IGD compared with HCs after a negative outcome occurred (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that negative outcomes affected the covariance between risk level and activation of the brain regions related to value estimation (prefrontal cortex), anticipation of rewards (VS), and emotional-related learning (hippocampus/parahippocampus), which may be one of the underlying neural mechanisms of disadvantageous risky decision-making in adolescents with IGD.

The influence of β-stimulating training on functional brain activity in adolescents with different types of daily health

Поширення сучасних лікувально-реабілітаційних технологій, якими активно користуються медики та реабілітологи, заснованих на принципах біокерування з використанням адаптивного зворотного зв’язку стають актуальними питаннями здоров'язберігаючої освіти. В роботі розглядається питання використання методів біокерування задля покращення функціональної активності головного мозку підлітків з урахуванням типу добової денної працездатності

The effect of breakfast versus no breakfast on brain activity in adolescents when performing cognitive tasks, as assessed by fMRI

Objectives: The study examined the feasibility of utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a group of adolescent boys and girls to assess modifications in cognitive function, dependent upon the nutritional state of the participants.Methods: Twenty children aged 12–14 years completed two cognitive trials, in a randomized counterbalanced order, one under fasting condition, one after consuming breakfast, during which continuous fMRI data were acquired.Results: Although no statistically significant (P > 0.05) improvement in task performance was determined, significantly higher activation was recorded in the frontal, premotor, and primary visual cortex areas in the breakfast trial relative to the fasting condition.Discussion: Such a finding may have important implications in the examination of the role of diet, and specifically breakfast, in determining children's performance within the school environment.

Aerobic exercise and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: brain research.

As adjuvant therapy for enhancing the effects of stimulants and thereby minimizing medication doses, we hypothesized that aerobic exercise might be an effective adjunctive therapy for enhancing the effects of methylphenidate on the clinical symptoms, cognitive function, and brain activity of adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thirty-five adolescents with ADHD were randomly assigned to one of two groups in a 1/1 ratio; methylphenidate treatment + 6-wk exercise (sports-ADHD) or methylphenidate treatment + 6-wk education (edu-ADHD). At baseline and after 6 wk of treatment, symptoms of ADHD, cognitive function, and brain activity were evaluated using the Dupaul attention deficit hyperactivity disorder rating scale--Korean version (K-ARS), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. The K-ARS total score and perseverative errors in the sports-ADHD group decreased compared with those in the edu-ADHD group. After the 6-wk treatment period, the mean β value of the right frontal lobe in the sports-ADHD group increased compared with that in the edu-ADHD group. The mean β value of the right temporal lobe in the sports-ADHD group decreased. However, the mean β value of the right temporal lobe in the edu-ADHD group did not change. The change in activity within the right prefrontal cortex in all adolescents with ADHD was negatively correlated with the change in K-ARS scores and perseverative errors. The current results indicate that aerobic exercise increased the effectiveness of methylphenidate on clinical symptoms, perseverative errors, and brain activity within the right frontal and temporal cortices in response to the Wisconsin card sorting test stimulation.

Brain Activity of Adolescents with High Functioning Autism in Response to Emotional Words and Facial Emoticons

Studies of social dysfunction in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have generally focused on the perception of emotional words and facial affect. Brain imaging studies have suggested that the fusiform gyrus is associated with both the comprehension of language and face recognition. We hypothesized that patients with ASD would have decreased ability to recognize affect via emotional words and facial emoticons, relative to healthy comparison subjects. In addition, we expected that this decreased ability would be associated with altered activity of the fusiform gyrus in patients with ASD. Ten male adolescents with ASDs and ten age and sex matched healthy comparison subjects were enrolled in this case-control study. The diagnosis of autism was further evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Brain activity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in response to emotional words and facial emoticon presentation. Sixty emotional words (45 pleasant words +15 unpleasant words) were extracted from a report on Korean emotional terms and their underlying dimensions. Sixty emoticon faces (45 pleasant faces +15 unpleasant faces) were extracted and modified from on-line sites. Relative to healthy comparison subjects, patients with ASD have increased activation of fusiform gyrus in response to emotional aspects of words. In contrast, patients with ASD have decreased activation of fusiform gyrus in response to facial emoticons, relative to healthy comparison subjects. We suggest that patients with ASD are more familiar with word descriptions than facial expression as depictions of emotion.

Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation abnormalities in adolescents with online gaming addiction.

The majority of previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated both structural and task-related functional abnormalities in adolescents with online gaming addiction (OGA). However, few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies focused on the regional intensity of spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) during the resting state and fewer studies investigated the relationship between the abnormal resting-state properties and the impaired cognitive control ability. In the present study, we employed the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method to explore the local features of spontaneous brain activity in adolescents with OGA and healthy controls during resting-state. Eighteen adolescents with OGA and 18 age-, education- and gender-matched healthy volunteers participated in this study. Compared with healthy controls, adolescents with OGA showed a significant increase in ALFF values in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the left precuneus, the left supplementary motor area (SMA), the right parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) and the bilateral middle cingulate cortex (MCC). The abnormalities of these regions were also detected in previous addiction studies. More importantly, we found that ALFF values of the left medial OFC and left precuneus were positively correlated with the duration of OGA in adolescents with OGA. The ALFF values of the left medial OFC were also correlated with the color-word Stroop test performance. Our results suggested that the abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity of these regions may be implicated in the underlying pathophysiology of OGA.

Altered relationships between age and functional brain activation in adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis

Schizophrenia is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder, but whether the adolescent period, proximal to onset, is associated with aberrant development in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis is incompletely understood. While abnormal gray and white matter development has been observed, alterations in functional neuroimaging (fMRI) parameters during adolescence as related to conversion to psychosis have not yet been investigated. Twenty CHR individuals and 19 typically developing controls (TDC), (ages 14–21), were recruited from the Center for Assessment and Prevention of Prodromal States (CAPPS) at UCLA. Participants performed a Sternberg-style verbal working memory (WMem) task during fMRI and data were analyzed using a cross-sectional design to test the hypothesis that there is a deviant developmental trajectory in WMem associated neural circuitry in those at risk for psychosis. Eight of the CHR adolescents converted to psychosis within 2 years of initial assessment. A voxel-wise regression examining the relationship between age and activation revealed a significant group-by-age interaction. TDC showed a negative association between age and functional activation in the WMem circuitry while CHR adolescents showed a positive association. Moreover, CHR patients who later converted to overt psychosis showed a distinct pattern of abnormal age-associated activation in the frontal cortex relative to controls, while non-converters showed a more diffuse posterior pattern. Finding that age related variation in baseline patterns of neural activity differentiate individuals who subsequently convert to psychosis from healthy subjects suggests that these differences are likely to be clinically relevant.

Sex Differences in Verbal Fluency During Adolescence: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Gender Dysphoric and Control Boys and Girls

In the literature, verbal fluency (VF) is generally described as a female-favoring task. Although it is conceivable that this sex difference only evolves during adolescence or adulthood under influence of sex steroids, this has never been investigated in young adolescents. First, to assess sex differences in VF performance and regional brain activation in adolescents. Second, to determine if untreated transsexual adolescents differ from their sex of birth with regard to VF performance and regional brain activation. Twenty-five boys, 26 girls, 8 Male-to-Female transsexual adolescents (MtFs), and 14 Female-to-Male transsexual adolescents (FtMs) were tested in a cross-sectional study, while performing a phonetic and semantic VF task within an MRI scanner. Functional MRI response during VF task. Boys and girls produced similar amounts of words, but the group MtFs produced significantly more words in the phonetic condition compared to control boys, girls, and FtMs. During the semantic condition, no differences were found. With regard to brain activity, control boys showed more activation in the right Rolandic operculum, a small area adjacent to Broca's area, compared to girls. No significant differences in brain activity were found comparing transsexual adolescents, although sub-threshold activation was found in the right Rolandic operculum indicating a trendwise increase in activation from control girls to FtMs to MtFs to control boys. The better performance of MtFs is consistent with our expectation that MtFs perform better on female-favoring tasks. Moreover, they produced more words than girls and FtMs. Even though a trendwise linear increase in brain activity between the four groups only approached significance, it may indicate differences in individuals with gender identity disorder compared to their birth sex. Although our findings should thus be interpreted with caution, they suggest a biological basis for both transgender groups performing in-between the two sexes.

Abnormal amplitude of low frequency fluctuation during the resting state in adolescents with online game addiction

Objective To investigate the characteristic of regional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the brain of adolescents with online game addiction during the resting state. Methods The ALFF method was employed to explore the local features of spontaneous brain activity in adolescents with online game addiction (n=26) and healthy controls (n=23) during resting-state by Resting-State fMRI Data Analysis Toolkit. Results Compared with healthy controls, adolescents with online game addiction showed increased ALFF values in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left middle cingulate cortex (MCC), bilateral caudate, right pallidum, bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, and right insula. It was noteworthy that the ALFF values of the right caudate (r=0.4437, P=0.0232) and right parahippocampal gyrus (r=0.5227, P=0.0062) were positively correlated with the duration of online game addiction. Conclusion The abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity properties during the resting state were revealed in the brain regions of adolescents with online game addiction. And the abnormalities may become more significant as the disease progresses. Key words: Online game addiction; Resting state; Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation

No increased sensitivity in brain activity of adolescents exposed to mobile phone-like emissions

ObjectiveTo examine the potential sensitivity of adolescents to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) exposures, such as those emitted by mobile phones. MethodsIn a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, 22 adolescents aged 11–13years (12 males) underwent three experimental sessions in which they were exposed to mobile phone-like RF EMF signals at two different intensities, and a sham session. During exposure cognitive tasks were performed and waking EEG was recorded at three time-points subsequent to exposure (0, 30 and 60min). ResultsNo clear significant effects of RF EMF exposure were found on the waking EEG or cognitive performance. ConclusionsOverall, the current study was unable to demonstrate exposure-related effects previously observed on the waking EEG in adults, and also provides further support for a lack of an influence of mobile phone-like exposure on cognitive performance. SignificanceAdolescents do not appear to be more sensitive than adults to mobile phone RF EMF emissions.

Atypical Spatial Working Memory and Task‐General Brain Activity in Adolescents with a Family History of Alcoholism

Altered behavioral performance and brain activation during spatial working memory (SWM) tasks have been demonstrated in individuals with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). It is possible that alterations in processing during SWM may be present prior to initiation of heavy alcohol use in adolescents with a family history of AUDs (family history positive [FHP]) and therefore represent a premorbid neural phenotype that could increase risk for developing an AUD. The goal of our study was to investigate group differences in brain activation during a SWM task between FHP adolescents and adolescents with no family history of AUDs (family history negative [FHN]), as well as examine the relationship between brain activation and individual differences in family history density (FHD) of AUDs. Eighteen FHP and 16 gender and age-matched FHN participants completed a SWM and vigilance task while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. There were no group differences in task performance. The FHN group demonstrated expected greater activation during the SWM than vigilance condition in the right middle frontal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas the FHP group demonstrated comparable brain activation for both the more demanding and simple task conditions. Additionally, FHD was associated with greater activation of the right superior parietal cortex and less activation of the right cerebellum during the SWM task, but not during the vigilance task. Results suggest FHP adolescents demonstrate alterations in activation of prefrontal regions that are related more generally to the maintenance of top-down cognitive control and alterations in parietal and cerebellar regions that are specific to SWM. Alterations in top-down cognitive control may be a general risk factor for FHP adolescents, whereas SWM-specific alterations are seen as a function of family history loading.

Brain activity of adolescents with high functioning autism in response to emotional words and facial emoticons

Brain activity of adolescents with high functioning autism in response to emotional words and facial emoticons

The effect of family therapy on the changes in the severity of online game play and brain activity in adolescents with online game addiction

The effect of family therapy on the changes in the severity of online game play and brain activity in adolescents with online game addiction

The effect of family therapy on the changes in the severity of on-line game play and brain activity in adolescents with on-line game addiction

We evaluated whether a brief 3-week family therapy intervention would change patterns of brain activation in response to affection and gaming cues in adolescents from dysfunctional families who met criteria for on-line game addiction. Fifteen adolescents with on-line game addiction and fifteen adolescents without problematic on-line game play and an intact family structure were recruited. Over 3weeks, families were asked to carry out homework assignments focused on increasing family cohesion for more than 1hour/day and 4days/week. Before therapy, adolescents with on-line game addiction demonstrated decreased activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) within the caudate, middle temporal gyrus, and occipital lobe in response to images depicting parental affection and increased activity of the middle frontal and inferior parietal in response scenes from on-line games, relative to healthy comparison subjects. Improvement in perceived family cohesion following 3weeks of treatment was associated with an increase in the activity of the caudate nucleus in response to affection stimuli and was inversely correlated with changes in on-line game playing time. With evidence of brain activation changes in response to on-line game playing cues and images depicting parental love, the present findings suggest that family cohesion may be an important factor in the treatment of problematic on-line game playing.