Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development
Anxiety disorders that develop in adolescence represent a significant burden and are particularly challenging to treat, due in no small part to the high occurrence of relapse in this age group following exposure therapy. This pattern of persistent fear is preserved across species; relative to those...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/9/3/65 |
| _version_ | 1818476427057561600 |
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| author | Kelsey S. Zimmermann Rick Richardson Kathryn D. Baker |
| author_facet | Kelsey S. Zimmermann Rick Richardson Kathryn D. Baker |
| author_sort | Kelsey S. Zimmermann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anxiety disorders that develop in adolescence represent a significant burden and are particularly challenging to treat, due in no small part to the high occurrence of relapse in this age group following exposure therapy. This pattern of persistent fear is preserved across species; relative to those younger and older, adolescents consistently show poorer extinction, a key process underpinning exposure therapy. This suggests that the neural processes underlying fear extinction are temporarily but profoundly compromised during adolescence. The formation, retrieval, and modification of fear- and extinction-associated memories are regulated by a forebrain network consisting of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the amygdala, and the hippocampus. These regions undergo robust maturational changes in early life, with unique alterations in structure and function occurring throughout adolescence. In this review, we focus primarily on two of these regions—the PFC and the amygdala—and discuss how changes in plasticity, synaptic transmission, inhibition/excitation, and connectivity (including modulation by hippocampal afferents to the PFC) may contribute to transient deficits in extinction retention. We end with a brief consideration of how exposure to stress during this adolescent window of vulnerability can permanently disrupt neurodevelopment, leading to lasting impairments in pathways of emotional regulation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:25:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2bd865df2ea34bdc95db39cd8f9979dc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T09:25:29Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2bd865df2ea34bdc95db39cd8f9979dc2022-12-22T01:54:32ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252019-03-01936510.3390/brainsci9030065brainsci9030065Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of DevelopmentKelsey S. Zimmermann0Rick Richardson1Kathryn D. Baker2School of Psychology, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaAnxiety disorders that develop in adolescence represent a significant burden and are particularly challenging to treat, due in no small part to the high occurrence of relapse in this age group following exposure therapy. This pattern of persistent fear is preserved across species; relative to those younger and older, adolescents consistently show poorer extinction, a key process underpinning exposure therapy. This suggests that the neural processes underlying fear extinction are temporarily but profoundly compromised during adolescence. The formation, retrieval, and modification of fear- and extinction-associated memories are regulated by a forebrain network consisting of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the amygdala, and the hippocampus. These regions undergo robust maturational changes in early life, with unique alterations in structure and function occurring throughout adolescence. In this review, we focus primarily on two of these regions—the PFC and the amygdala—and discuss how changes in plasticity, synaptic transmission, inhibition/excitation, and connectivity (including modulation by hippocampal afferents to the PFC) may contribute to transient deficits in extinction retention. We end with a brief consideration of how exposure to stress during this adolescent window of vulnerability can permanently disrupt neurodevelopment, leading to lasting impairments in pathways of emotional regulation.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/9/3/65fear extinctionadolescenceprefrontal cortexamygdala |
| spellingShingle | Kelsey S. Zimmermann Rick Richardson Kathryn D. Baker Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development Brain Sciences fear extinction adolescence prefrontal cortex amygdala |
| title | Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development |
| title_full | Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development |
| title_fullStr | Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development |
| title_short | Maturational Changes in Prefrontal and Amygdala Circuits in Adolescence: Implications for Understanding Fear Inhibition during a Vulnerable Period of Development |
| title_sort | maturational changes in prefrontal and amygdala circuits in adolescence implications for understanding fear inhibition during a vulnerable period of development |
| topic | fear extinction adolescence prefrontal cortex amygdala |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/9/3/65 |
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