The development of monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems in childhood and adolescence

Abstract

Brain maturation extends throughout adolescence well into early adulthood. Knowledge on developmental changes is crucial for age‐appropriate pharmacotherapy. This article reviews data on maturational processes with a focus on the noradrenergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems.The literature was searched with a focus on studies in humans. However, since data in humans are limited animal studies were also included. All reviewed neurotransmitter systems show age‐related development processes that differentiate child and adolescent brain function from those of adult brains. Unfortunately, the state of knowledge surrounding development‐related changes remains sufficiently sparse, There is a high need for more studies on pediatric psychopharmacology and its biological underpinnings. Safety and efficacy of psychopharmacological medicines cannot be readily extrapolated from adults.

Reinforcement Learning during Adolescence in Rats

“…In addition to the circuit-based changes, many neurotransmitter systems also transform during adolescence (Wahlstrom et al, 2010;Pitzer, 2019). For example, the density of dopamine D 1 and D 2 receptors peaks during early adolescence and then rapidly declines (Teicher et al, 1995;Andersen et al, 2000).…”

Maturation-dependent vulnerability of emotion regulation as a response to COVID-19 related stress in adolescents

“…We were also particularly interested in those potential windows of vulnerability that are suggested by the earlier mentioned brain maturational processes, e.g., cortical pruning, late frontolimbic maturation ( Hwang et al, 2016 ; Marek et al, 2018 ; Yang & Tseng, 2021 ) and neurotransmitter imbalance (for a review see Pitzer, 2019 ). To this end, we assessed the biological age of both GS and VS adolescent males assuming that biological age as assessed by bone age will be in correlation with brain maturation ( Kovács et al, 2022 ).…”

Experimental Evidence on Age-related Differential Outcomes Associated With Substance Abuse

“…Mechanistically, this results from the fact that many key brain structures undergo maturational refinements at the cellular level during adolescence. Furthermore, this period of life is associated with significant changes in brain neurotransmitter balance (Murrin et al, 2007;Pitzer, 2019;Wahlstrom et al, 2010), thus any alteration of brain function at this developmental stage may be persistently maintained until adulthood.…”