Pubertal influences on neural activation during risky decision making in youth with ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders
Objective Risk taking during adolescence is a leading cause of mortality; Neuroscience research examining pubertal effects on decision making is needed to better inform interventions, particularly among youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) who are particularly prone to risky decision making. We examined effects of pubertal development on risky decision making and neural activation during decision making among youth with ADHD/DBDs. Method Forty six 11 12 year olds (29.4% girls; 54.9% white; Tanner M(SD) 2.08(1.32) who met DSM 5 criteria for ADHD/DBD completed the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) during fMRI scanning. We examined effects of Tanner stage, sex, and age on risky decision making (mean wager at which individuals stopped balloon inflation) and neural activation in the middle frontal gyrus and the ventral striatum during the choice and outcome phases of decision making. Results Those in earlier pubertal stages made riskier decisions during the BART compared to those in later Tanner stages (b= 0.62, p .02) Later pubertal stage was associated with greater activation in the left middle frontal gyrus (b=0.61, p .03) during the choice phase and in the right ventral striatum in response to rewards (b=0.59, p .03) Conclusion Youth with ADHD/DBD in later stages of puberty, regardless of age, show greater ventral striatal activation in response to rewards.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience