Basic emotion processing and the adolescent brain: Task demands, analytic approaches, and trajectories of changes.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Early neuroimaging suggested distinct developmental trajectories for emotional reactivity and regulation in adolescents.
• Adolescent brain research has become more sophisticated, revealing a complex picture of emotional processing development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review functional neuroimaging studies comparing emotion processing (reactivity and regulation) in adolescents versus children or adults.
• To synthesize diverse results by analyzing experimental paradigms, analytical approaches, and cohort characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of functional neuroimaging studies.
• Delineation of emotional processing demands across experimental paradigms.
• Exploration of analytical methods and cohort characteristics as influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Few unifying dimensions were identified to simplify the diverse study results.
• Methodological and analytical differences significantly impact findings.
• Standardized, theory-driven paradigms are needed for consistent results.

Conclusions:

• Subtle methodological and analytical variations are crucial in adolescent neuroimaging studies.
• Standardized paradigms and advanced analytical approaches are necessary to understand developmental trajectories.
• Future research should focus on connectivity analyses, non-linear trajectories, and biological markers beyond age.