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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.22.752555

Functional reorganization of large-scale brain systems underlies emotion regulation maturation

Ding, R.·Zhang, Z.·Qing, R.·Hu, B.·Huang, Q.·Luo, Y.·Hu, Y.·Zhou, X.·Qin, S.
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Abstract

Emotion regulation via cognitive reappraisal is essential for socioemotional development and mental health, yet the organizational logic of its supporting brain systems across youth remains unclear. Using a large multisite cohort, we demonstrate that maturation of reappraisal capacity reflects reorganization of a distributed architecture rather than progressive strengthening of prefrontal control. Reappraisal robustly reduced negative affect, with non-linear gains concentrated between 6 and 10.5 years. Bayesian systems identification resolved this architecture into four functionally distinct systems-reappraisal-specific, common-appraisal, modifiable-emotion, and non-modifiable-emotion components-spanning prefrontal-control, salience, default-mode and dorsal-attention networks. Age-related variation in anterior temporal cortex, emerged as essential hub, statistically accounted for developmental gains in reappraisal success. Multivariate modelling together with intersubject analyses further identified a cross-site-generalizable whole-brain reappraisal signature and revealed an age-dependent shift in brain-behaviour coupling, with neurobehavioural convergence increasing with age. These findings establish distributed network reorganization as a core mechanism of emotion regulation development and provide mechanistic targets for stage-matched interventions.

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Ding, R., Zhang, Z., Qing, R., Hu, B., Huang, Q., Luo, Y., Hu, Y., Zhou, X., Qin, S.. 2026-09-22. Functional reorganization of large-scale brain systems underlies emotion regulation maturation. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.22.752555

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