The influence of pubertal maturation on antisaccade performance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Adolescence involves developing inhibitory control, crucial for managing impulsive and risk-taking behaviors.
• Puberty significantly influences adolescent affective and motivational behaviors.
• The direct impact of pubertal maturation on inhibitory control remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rigorously examine the independent role of pubertal maturation in the development of inhibitory control.
• To differentiate the effects of pubertal status from age on cognitive control.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 78 participants (ages 11-14) with narrow age ranges to maximize pubertal variability.
• Assessed pubertal status using serum hormone levels (testosterone, estradiol) and Tanner staging.
• Measured inhibitory control via the antisaccade task, with analyses adjusted for age.

Main Results:

• No association found between testosterone levels and antisaccade performance (error rates, response latencies) in either sex.
• In girls, estradiol and Tanner stage were not linked to errors but correlated with faster response latencies.
• Statistical power analyses confirmed that non-significant findings were not due to insufficient sample size.

Conclusions:

• Age-related improvements in inhibitory control, specifically antisaccade task performance, are independent of pubertal maturation.
• Both internal (hormonal) and external (Tanner stage) indicators of puberty do not influence inhibitory control development.
• This study isolates the effects of pubertal maturation, demonstrating its dissociation from cognitive control development during adolescence.