Differences in students’ emotion regulation considering perceived learning environment

Research on students’ emotion regulation strategies (ERS) lacks information about their individual preferences for various ERS, and rarely examined within-person fluctuations and between-person differences in ERS development. Furthermore, the school environment has hardly been considered. We conducted two studies on students’ use of ERS in dealing with emotionally challenging classroom situations (DECCS). This study had two aims: (1) To explore ERS latent profiles, examining the role of mathematics achievement emotions and performance, and (2) To differ-entiate between within-person fluctuations and between-person differences in ERS, considering students’ perceived environment. We involved 635 4th to 7th-grade stu-dents (Sample 1) and 140 5th-grade students (Sample 2). We measured their ERS use through the DECCS questionnaire, at one point in Study 1 and across three waves in Study 2. Respectively for the two studies, we conducted a latent profile analysis with a three-step approach and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). For Study 1, a four-profile solution fitted the data best. Profile 1 comprised the biggest group (84.8%; ambitious and high need satisfaction). Profile 3 (7.5%; flexible ERS, highest need for support, and low autonomy/competence) was significantly associated with more anger and less joy. For Study 2, the RI-CLPM showed non-significant autoregressive and cross-lagged paths. Moreover, the perceived environment was significantly and positively associated with ERS at each wave. Our findings indicate that students’ perceptions of their learning envi-ronment should also be considered when investigating their ERS use. Extending this knowledge is a preliminary step for developing resources to improve students’ ERS

Reward anticipation in the adolescent and aging brain

Processing of reward is the basis of adaptive behavior of the human being. Neural correlates of reward processing seem to be influenced by developmental changes from adolescence to late adulthood. The aim of this study is to uncover these neural correlates during a slot machine gambling task across the lifespan. Therefore, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate 102 volunteers in three different age groups: 34 adolescents, 34 younger adults, and 34 older adults. We focused on the core reward areas ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), the valence processing associated areas, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula, as well as information integration associated areas, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Results showed that VS and VMPFC were characterized by a hyperactivation in adolescents compared with younger adults. Furthermore, the ACC and insula were characterized by a U-shape pattern (hypoactivation in younger adults compared with adolescents and older adults), whereas the DLPFC and IPL were characterized by a J-shaped form (hyperactivation in older adults compared with younger groups). Furthermore, a functional connectivity analysis revealed an elevated negative functional coupling between the inhibition-related area rIFG and VS in younger adults compared with adolescents. Results indicate that lifespan-related changes during reward anticipation are characterized by different trajectories in different reward network modules and support the hypothesis of an imbalance in maturation of striatal and prefrontal cortex in adolescents. Furthermore, these results suggest compensatory age-specific effects in fronto-parietal regions. Hum Brain Mapp 35:5153-5165, 2014. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Frontal glutamate and reward processing in adolescence and adulthood

The fronto-limbic network interaction, driven by glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission, represents a core mechanism of motivated behavior and personality traits. Reward seeking behavior undergoes tremendous changes in adolescence paralleled by neurobiological changes of this network including the prefrontal cortex, striatum and amygdala. Since fronto-limbic dysfunctions also underlie major psychiatric diseases beginning in adolescence, this investigation focuses on network characteristics separating adolescents from adults. To investigate differences in network interactions, the brain reward system activity (slot machine task) together with frontal glutamate concentration (anterior cingulate cortex, ACC) was measured in 28 adolescents and 26 adults employing functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively. An inverse coupling of glutamate concentrations in the ACC and activation of the ventral striatum was observed in adolescents. Further, amygdala response in adolescents was negatively correlated with the personality trait impulsivity. For adults, no significant associations of network components or correlations with impulsivity were found. The inverse association between frontal glutamate concentration and striatal activation in adolescents is in line with the triadic model of motivated behavior stressing the important role of frontal top–down inhibition on limbic structures. Our data identified glutamate as the mediating neurotransmitter of this inhibitory process and demonstrates the relevance of glutamate on the reward system and related behavioral traits like impulsivity. This fronto-limbic coupling may represent a vulnerability factor for psychiatric disorders starting in adolescence but not in adulthood

Reversal learning strategy in adolescence is associated with prefrontal cortex activation

Adolescence is a critical maturation period for human cognitive control and executive function. In this study, a large sample of adolescents (n = 85) performed a reversal learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We analyzed behavioral data using a reinforcement learning model to provide individually fitted parameters and imaging data with regard to reward prediction errors (PE). Following a model-based approach, we formed two groups depending on whether individuals tended to update expectations predominantly for the chosen stimulus or also for the unchosen one. These groups significantly differed in their problem behavior score obtained using the child behavior checklist (CBCL) and in a measure of their developmental stage. Imaging results showed that dorsolateral striatal areas covaried with PE. Participants who relied less on learning based on task structure showed less prefrontal activation compared with participants who relied more on task structure. An exploratory analysis revealed that PE-related activity was associated with pubertal development in prefrontal areas, insula and anterior cingulate. These findings support the hypothesis that the prefrontal cortex is implicated in mediating flexible goal-directed behavioral control