Testosterone's effects on brain change, levels high during adolescence says new study

The anterior prefrontal cortex of the brain is more involved in emotion regulation when testosterone levels are higher during adolescence, but the opposite is true during maturity. In a study that was published in the journal Developmental Science, researchers used brain imaging scans on the same subjects in middle adolescence, late adolescence, and young adulthood to look into this changeover. Testosterone typically tends to be associated with aggression or dominance behaviour, whereas in fact it has multifaceted roles across different developmental periods. The study's investigators note that many mood disorders tend to arise during adolescence, and additional research may reveal whether alterations in the interactions between testosterone and the brain may be related to this. "Testosterone typically tends to be associated with aggression or dominance behavior, whereas in fact it has multifaceted roles across different developmental periods," said corresponding author Anna Tyborowska, PhD, of Radboud University, in The Netherlands.