Citation

Achterberg M, Van Duijvenvoorde ACK, van Ijzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Crone EA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, National Academy of Sciences)

DOI

10.1073/pnas.1915124117

PMID

32234781

Abstract

Regulating aggression after social feedback is an important prerequisite for developing and maintaining social relations, especially in the current times with larger emphasis on online social evaluation. Studies in adults highlighted the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in regulating aggression. Little is known about the development of aggression regulation following social feedback during childhood, while this is an important period for both brain maturation and social relations. The current study used a longitudinal design, with 456 twins undergoing two functional MRI sessions across the transition from middle (7 to 9 y) to late (9 to 11 y) childhood. Aggression regulation was studied using the Social Network Aggression Task. Behavioral aggression after social evaluation decreased over time, whereas activation in the insula, dorsomedial PFC and DLPFC increased over time. Brain-behavior analyses showed that increased DLPFC activation after negative feedback was associated with decreased aggression. Change analyses further revealed that children with larger increases in DLPFC activity from middle to late childhood showed stronger decreases in aggression over time. These findings provide insights into the development of social evaluation sensitivity and aggression control in childhood.

Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Language: en

Keywords

aggression regulation; brain development; childhood; social evaluation; social rejection