Understanding adolescent anxiety through a neurodevelopmental lens: A comparative review of rodents and humans

Adolescence is a dynamic time period, marked by significant neural and behavioral maturation. However, much remains unknown about how this maturation alters the way anxiety is expressed in this population, or how similar behavioral patterns may arise from divergent neural underpinnings. This translational review describes key differences between adolescent and adult manifestation of anxiety in rodents and humans. We suggest potential underlying developmental mechanisms in behavior and the brain across species that may contribute to age-related differences. We focus on cognitive factors that play a role in or are impaired by anxiety within three domains: fear, reward, and attentional processing. We review how and to what degree these processes and their interactions with anxiety manifest in youth compared to adults, and where known, with underlying neural circuits across species. Therefore, this review aims to provide insight into the translational neural and behavioral developmental nuances of anxiety in order to encourage further anxiety research utilizing adolescent humans and rodents.