Nat. Mental Health｜Developmental benchmarks of executive function reveal sensitive periods for adolescent mental health｜Zaixu Cui Lab
Abstract
Adolescence represents a sensitive window for the maturation of executive function (EF), a core neurocognitive system underlying adaptive emotion regulation and social behavior. However, large-scale normative benchmarks of EF development and the extent to which deviations from these norms signal mental health vulnerability remain unclear. Here, using data from 33,622 Chinese adolescents aged 11–18 years, we mapped normative developmental trajectories of inhibitory control and working memory. Inhibitory control matured into late adolescence, whereas working memory plateaued earlier, accompanied by declining interindividual variability. Greater deviations below age-normed EF performance were associated with elevated peer and conduct problems, higher hyperactivity/inattention and reduced prosocial behavior, with these patterns being most pronounced during early adolescence and gradually attenuating thereafter. Replication in 11,549 US adolescents yielded convergent results. Together, these findings provide population-based benchmarks of EF development and highlight sensitive periods when neurocognitive deviations are most predictive of emerging psychopathology, informing identification and timing-specific prevention strategies.
