WASHINGTON — Advanced brain imaging techniques reveal how adolescent brain development influences, and is influenced by, factors including chronic stress and mood disorders. The findings will be presented on Monday, November 13, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST at Neuroscience 2023 , the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Adolescence is a time of social, biological, and emotional changes, as well as continued brain development. Mental health among teenagers was already declining before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pandemic introduced new challenges and stressors for children and teens, leading to the US Surgeon General declaring a mental health crisis. By leveraging cutting-edge imaging methods, researchers are investigating the relationships between chronic stress, mood disorders, and teenage brain organization and structure.
New findings show that:
“The adolescent brain is still developing and vulnerable to external and internal factors,” says Elizabeth Powell, program officer, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “The abstracts in this group show that major stressors in teenagers’ lives, including those associated with the pandemic and mood disorders, may have significant effects on the way their brains are structured and organized, with potential implications for their mental health.”
This research was supported by national funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Find out more about social behavior and the brain on BrainFacts.org.
Monday, November 13, 2023
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 202B
Adolescence Press Conference Summary
COVID-19 effects of adolescent brain structure suggest accelerated maturation
Patricia Kuhl, pkkuhl@uw.edu , Abstract PSTR451.09
The topological organization of developing brain circuits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic predicts adolescents’ emotions and response to stress during the pandemic
Caterina Stamoulis, caterina.stamoulis@childrens.harvard.edu , Abstract PSTR451.15
Altered functional connectivity in depressed adolescents: Insights from the ABCD Study
Margot Wagner, mwagner@ucsd.edu , Abstract PSTR098.12
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The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 35,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.