# Pubertal hormone levels differentially modulate the neural circuits implicated in emotion dysregulation in youth with psychopathology

> **NIH NIH P20** · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · 2024 · $34,722

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract: Research Project (4) 
Pubertal hormone levels differentially modulate the neural circuits implicated 
 in emotion dysregulation in youth with psychopathology 
Estimates indicate that over 20% of American adolescents suffer from serious psychopathology, including stress, 
mood, anxiety, and behavioral disorders. Patients with these disorders show emotional dysregulation, which is 
part of the cognitive control construct within the NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria framework. The critical brain 
circuitry underlying emotional regulation is known to include the amygdala, frontal, and parietal cortices, with 
heightened emotional responses in children most commonly linked to aberrations in frontal and parietal activity. 
Testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) are known to indirectly affect neural processing in these regions in adults, but 
their particular role in aberrant emotional responses is unknown and studies in children have yet to be conducted. 
Thus, our goal in this study is to identify the role of T and C reactivity in modulating neural responses associated 
with emotion regulation in adolescents with and without psychopathology (i.e., emotion regulation issues). 
Consistent with the NIH’s mission to reduce the burden of mental disorders, the proposed work will yield a better 
understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying emotion regulation, and thereby support the development 
of new and improved interventions for adolescents with psychopathology. Specifically, the current proposal aims 
to: (i) determine the extent to which T reactivity modulates emotion regulation and neural function in youth with 
emotion regulation issues relative to typically-developing (TD) youth, and the degree to which pubertal status 
mediates this relationship in each group; (ii) determine the role of C reactivity in emotion regulation and neural 
function in youth with emotional dysregulation and TD youth, and the degree to which pubertal status mediates 
these relationships; and (iii) identify the role of biological sex in modulating T and C reactivity in the context of 
emotion regulation in youth with emotional dysregulation relative to TD youth. We believe identifying sex 
differences in this context is critical, as there are known sex differences in both hormonal functioning and the 
prevalence of these disorders during adolescence. 
 These aims will be accomplished by recruiting 210 participants (aged 9-15 years; half male; half community 
controls), including 105 with psychopathology (i.e., emotion regulation issues) from outpatient mental health 
clinics. Participants will complete an fMRI protocol assessing emotion regulation following a social challenge 
paradigm designed to elicit a T response. Our pilot data indicates that increased T reactivity improves emotion 
regulation in healthy youth, but impairs it in youth with psychopathology. Further, C reactivity also appears to 
improve emotion regulation in healthy youth, but...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10793558
- **Project number:** 5P20GM144641-03
- **Recipient organization:** FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME
- **Principal Investigator:** Stuart F. White
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $34,722
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2027-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10793558

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10793558, Pubertal hormone levels differentially modulate the neural circuits implicated in emotion dysregulation in youth with psychopathology (5P20GM144641-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10793558. Licensed CC0.

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