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The Journal of Neuroscience, July 25, 2007, 27(30):8040-8045; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1360-07.2007

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Brief Communications
Neural Mechanisms of Resistance to Peer Influence in Early Adolescence

Marie-Helène Grosbras,² Marije Jansen,¹ Gabriel Leonard,⁵ Anthony McIntosh,³ Katja Osswald,¹ Catherine Poulsen,⁵ Laurence Steinberg,⁴ Roberto Toro,¹ and Toma Paus^1,5

¹Brain and Body Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom, ²Department of Psychology, Glasgow University, Glasgow G128QB, United Kingdom, ³Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6A 2E1, ⁴Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, and ⁵Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H34 2B4

Correspondence should be addressed to Prof. Toma Paus, Brain and Body Centre, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. Email: tomas.paus{at}nottingham.ac.uk

During the shift from a parent-dependent child to a fully autonomous adult, peers take on a significant role in shaping the adolescent's behavior. Peer-derived influences are not always positive, however. Here, we explore neural correlates of interindividual differences in the probability of resisting peer influence in early adolescence. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found striking differences between 10-year-old children with high and low resistance to peer influence in their brain activity during observation of angry hand movements and angry facial expressions: compared with subjects with low resistance to peer influence, individuals with high resistance showed a highly coordinated brain activity in neural systems underlying perception of action and decision making. These findings suggest that the probability of resisting peer influence depends on neural interactions during observation of emotion-laden actions.

Key words: adolescence; peer influence; fMRI; action observation; prefrontal cortex; connectivity

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Received Dec. 7, 2006; revised May 2, 2007; accepted June 15, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Prof. Toma Paus, Brain and Body Centre, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. Email: tomas.paus{at}nottingham.ac.uk

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				C. L. Masten, N. I. Eisenberger, L. A. Borofsky, J. H. Pfeifer, K. McNealy, J. C. Mazziotta, and M. Dapretto Neural correlates of social exclusion during adolescence: understanding the distress of peer rejection Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, June 1, 2009; 4(2): 143 - 157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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