Mood Symptom Dimensions and Developmental Differences in Neurocognition in Adolescence

Adolescence is a critical period of neurocognitive development and increased prevalence of mood pathology. In this cross-sectional study, we replicated developmental patterns of neurocognition and tested whether mood symptoms moderated developmental effects. Participants were 419 adolescents (n = 246 with current mood disorders) who completed reward-learning and executive-functioning tasks and reported on age, puberty, and mood symptoms. Structural equation modeling revealed a quadratic relationship between puberty and reward-learning performance that was moderated by symptom severity: In early puberty, adolescents reporting higher manic symptoms exhibited heightened reward-learning performance (better maximizing of rewards on learning tasks), whereas adolescents reporting elevated anhedonia showed blunted reward-learning performance. Models also showed a linear relationship between age and executive functioning that was moderated by manic symptoms: Adolescents reporting higher mania showed poorer executive functioning at older ages. Findings suggest neurocognitive development is altered in adolescents with mood pathology and suggest directions for longitudinal studies.