In a study of 569 people aged 14-24 years, participants exhibited strengthening of goal-directed behavior in the transition from adolescence to early adulthood, but the presence of compulsivity traits delayed this maturational trajectory; functional MRI data from 230 participants from the original sample suggested that compulsivity is associated with less-pronounced remodeling of brain circuitry during development, particularly between the striatum and frontoparietal network, both implicated in goal-directed behavior, suggesting that compulsivity may be linked to atypical developmental trajectories of cognitive processes.
Article #19-22273: "Compulsivity is linked to reduced adolescent development of goal-directed control and frontostriatal functional connectivity," by Matilde M. Vaghi et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Matilde M. Vaghi, University College London, UNITED KINGDOM; e-mail: matilde.vaghi@gmail.com
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences