Relationships Between Impulsivity, Anxiety, and Risk-Taking and the Neural Correlates of Attention in Adolescents

Dev Neuropsychol. 2016 Jan-Mar;41(1-2):38-58. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2016.1167212. Epub 2016 May 2.

Abstract

Although impulsivity, anxiety, and risk-taking may relate to attentional processes, little research has directly investigated how each may be associated with specific facets of attentional processes and their underlying neural correlates. Nineteen adolescents performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging task involving simple, selective, and divided attention. Out-of-scanner-assessed impulsivity, anxiety, and risk-taking scores were not correlated with each other and showed task-phase-specific patterns of association. Results are discussed in light of research and theory suggesting a relationship between these domains and attention and may serve to focus future research aiming to understand these relationships.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / physiopathology*
  • Anxiety / psychology*
  • Arousal / physiology
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Impulsive Behavior / physiology*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male
  • Neural Pathways / physiopathology
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiopathology*
  • Risk-Taking*
  • Young Adult