Authors

Colin Sauder

Type

Text

Type

Dissertation

Advisor

Proudfit, Greg | Blader, Joseph | Davila, Joanne | Canli, Turhan.

Date

2015-05-01

Keywords

Developmental psychology | ERP, fMRI, Impulsivity, Pubertal development, Reward processing

Department

Department of Clinical Psychology.

Language

en_US

Source

This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.

Identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77182

Publisher

The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.

Format

application/pdf

Abstract

Recent changes in NIMH funding priorities have led to a greater emphasis on the identification of common and unique neural substrates of psychiatric disorders. High comorbidity among disorders suggests common traits that predispose individuals to a variety of outcomes. For example, trait impulsivity has been associated with a number of childhood behavioral disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD). Impulsivity can be characterized by alterations in reward processing, with a number animal and human studies pointing to attenuated sensitivity to rewards among impulsive populations. Impulsivity has also been long associated with early adolescence; as children undergo puberty they become more behaviorally impulsive. However, to date no study has simultaneously examined multiple markers of reward sensitivity and pubertal development in relation to impulsivity. Using factor analysis, we combined multiple physiological and behavioral measures of pubertal development and reward sensitivity, as well as self-reported impulsivity in a sample of over 150 adolescent girls. We predicted a final model which included bidirectional connections between reward sensitivity and pubertal development, and that both of these factors would predict impulsivity. Consistent with our hypotheses and previous research, model fit was excellent. Reward sensitivity was inversely related to impulsivity and positively correlated with pubertal development, while pubertal development was positively associated with impulsivity. Follow-up analyses revealed that reward sensitivity best predicted impulsivity while controlling for the effects of pubertal development. Construct validity was supported by expected associations between latent factors and measures of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. The findings of the current study strongly support previous models linking attenuated reward response to increased behavioral impulsivity. Furthermore, results indicate that puberty may suppress relationships between these measures, through modulatory effects on reward processing. | 89 pages

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