Prefrontal activity to negative emotions moderates the longitudinal links between parents and youth's internalizing symptoms

Parents' internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, may contribute to similar symptoms in their youth. However, these associations vary, as youth with better emotion regulation may be more protected from negative parental influence. Yet, it remains unclear how youth's neural correlates of emotion regulation, particularly in prefrontal regions - such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) - play a role in these associations. To address this gap, this study used two-wave longitudinal data that spanned 2 yr from the nationwide Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study including 7,932 youth (M_age = 9.96 yr, SD = 7.52; 49% females) and their parents. Results: revealed significant longitudinal associations between parents' and youth's internalizing symptoms over 2 yr. Moreover, youth's dlPFC, lOFC, and mOFC activity to negative emotions moderated these links. Youth with higher activity in these regions showed weaker parent-youth associations in internalizing symptoms over time. This study provides robust evidence that dlPFC, lOFC, and mOFC serve as neurobiological protective factors in the longitudinal links between parents and youth's internalizing symptoms. Findings inform interventions targeting youth's neural development in emotion regulation to promote emotional adjustment in families where parents face mental health challenges.