Open AccessEarly Adolescence is a Critical Period for the Maturation of Inhibitory Behavior
Author(s) -
Lauren M. Reynolds,
Leora Yetnikoff,
Matthew Pokinko,
Michael Wodzinski,
Julia G Epelbaum,
Laura C. Lambert,
MariePierre Cossette,
Andreas Arvanitogiannis,
Cecilia Flores
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
cerebral cortex
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.694
H-Index - 250
eISSN - 1460-2199
pISSN - 1047-3211
DOI - 10.1093/cercor/bhy247
Subject(s) - dopamine , amphetamine , prefrontal cortex , psychology , psychopathology , neuroscience , cognition , period (music) , inhibitory control , adolescent development , developmental psychology , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , clinical psychology , physics , acoustics
Psychiatric conditions marked by impairments in cognitive control often emerge during adolescence, when the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its inputs undergo structural and functional maturation and are vulnerable to disruption by external events. It is not known, however, whether there exists a specific temporal window within the broad range of adolescence when the development of PFC circuitry and its related behaviors are sensitive to disruption. Here we show, in male mice, that repeated exposure to amphetamine during early adolescence leads to impaired behavioral inhibition, aberrant PFC dopamine connectivity, and reduced PFC dopamine function in adulthood. Remarkably, these deficits are not observed following exposure to the exact same amphetamine regimen at later times. These findings demonstrate that there is a critical period for the disruption of the adolescent maturation of cognitive control and PFC dopamine function and suggest that early adolescence is particularly relevant to the emergence of psychopathology in humans.