Interaction of threat and XXXX in adolescents.

@entity2414 @entity148 @entity427
Threat induces a state of sustained @entity148 that can disrupt cognitive processing, and, reciprocally, cognitive processing can modulate an @entity148 response to threat. These effects depend on the level of cognitive engagement, which itself varies as a function of task difficulty. In adults, we recently showed that induced @entity148 working memory accuracy at low and medium but not high load. Conversely, increasing the task load reduced the physiological correlates of @entity148 ( @entity148 -potentiated @entity427 ). The present work examines such threat-cognition interactions as a function of age. We expected threat to more strongly impact working memory in younger individuals by virtue of putatively restricted cognitive resources and weaker emotion regulation. This was tested by examining the influence of age on the interaction of @entity2414 in 25 adolescents (10 to 17 years) and 25 adults (22 to 46 years). Working memory load was manipulated using a verbal n-back task. @entity148 was induced using the threat of an aversive loud scream and measured via eyeblink @entity427 . Findings revealed that, in both age groups, accuracy was lower during threat than safe conditions at low and medium but not high load, and reaction times were faster during threat than safe conditions at high load but did not differ at other loads. Additionally, @entity148 -potentiated @entity427 was greater during low and medium than high load. Thus, the interactions of @entity2414 appear similar in adolescents and adults. Whether these similarities reflect common neural mechanisms would need to be assessed using functional neuroimaging.
