Schedule of Events | Symposia

Neurocognitive development in adolescence: The importance of age versus pubertal stage

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 29, 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Erynn Christensen¹ (erynnchristensen@gmail.com), Katharina Brosch¹, Elvisha Dhamala¹; ¹Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

Puberty involves physiological and neuroanatomical developments supporting cognitive functions that influence decision-making. Typically, research looking at neurocognitive development in adolescence is focussed on age-related relationships. However, with puberty starting at younger ages, it raises the question of whether age-related benchmarks are the most effective way to understand this developmental period. Using a large longitudinal dataset (ABCD Study), the present study investigated the extent to which age and pubertal stage influence cognitive development across adolescence (9-15yrs). Data from the Flanker, Pattern Comparison Task (PCT), and the Little Man Task (LMT), age, and the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) were collected at baseline (N=9766, 48% females), and 2- (N=7520, 47% females) and 4- (N=2818, 48% females) year follow-ups. Linear mixed effects models found that Flanker and LMT performance was significantly positively predicted by age but not pubertal stage (β=2.04, p<.001 for Flanker; β=236, p<.001 for LMT). For PCT, age (β=5.50, p<.001) and pubertal stage (β=0.32, p=0.02) significantly positively predicted task performance, with age having a larger effect. The interaction between age and pubertal stage did not predict Flanker performance, but did predict PCT (β=-0.22, p<.001) and LMT (β=6.11, p=.002) performance. Findings indicate that age is the best predictor of cognitive development across all domains. However, pubertal development independently, and through its interaction with age, influences development within specific cognitive domains. Thus pubertal maturation could serve as an important factor in refining our understanding of cognitive changes during adolescence.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Development &aging