Neurocognitive Processes Implicated in Adolescent Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: Applying an RDoC Framework for...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Identifying neurocognitive risk factors for suicide attempts in adolescents is critical for effective prevention strategies.
• The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework offers a valuable lens for examining neurobiological processes implicated in adolescent suicide behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing research on neurocognitive processes—cognitive control, reward responsiveness, and negative urgency—in relation to adolescent suicide attempts (STBs) using the RDoC framework.
• To highlight the current understanding and gaps in knowledge regarding the neurocognitive underpinnings of STBs in adolescents.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies examining neurocognitive functioning in adolescents with a history of suicide attempts.
• Application of the RDoC framework to categorize and analyze findings related to cognitive control, positive valence systems, and negative urgency.

Main Results:

• Deficits in response selection (decision-making) and negative urgency were consistently associated with suicide attempts.
• Findings regarding inhibition/suppression and updating/maintenance within cognitive control were mixed.
• Adolescents with STBs may exhibit blunted neural responses to rewards, though these findings require replication.
• Abnormalities in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation and functional connectivity were observed in youth with STBs during emotional processing tasks.

Conclusions:

• Neurocognitive functioning, particularly decision-making and negative urgency, shows significant associations with adolescent suicide attempts.
• Further research is needed to replicate findings on reward processing and to integrate developmental contexts into the study of neurocognitive mechanisms and STBs.
• Abnormalities in cognitive control networks, including PFC interactions, are implicated in the difficulties adolescents with STBs face in regulating attention and behavior in emotional situations.