Neural correlates of social roles in adolescent friendship groups

During adolescence, the influence of friends becomes an important focus of young people’s lives, while the brain is still growing and changing. Research indicates that a person’s social network is related to how their brain develops, although this has not been comprehensively tested in adolescence. This study mapped the entire social network of year 10s at a local high school, and some of those students completed an MRI brain scan. Brain structure and function were compared with student’s social network position, but no relationship was found. This thesis provides important future directions for social network and school-based interventions for youth.