Background: Contemporary neuroscience relates human behaviour, emotions and cognition to underlying neurobiological processes in the brain. Increased awareness of such processes may improve our understanding of emotional regulatory problems and development of psychopathology in some children and adolescents.
Material and methods: This article is based on articles identified through a non-systematic search in PubMed and on publications from the authors' own database.
Results: Several processes form the biological basis for how children and adolescents regulate their emotions when relating to others: linear development of white matter, growth and subsequent elimination of gray matter and maturation of various neuronal networks in the brain. Emotional regulation develops discontinuously in children and adolescents, and varying degrees of maturation of specific neural networks involved in self-regulation may explain different behavioural traits that are typical for specific age groups.
Interpretation: Emotional regulation develops in a complex interaction between a child's relationships, experiences, activities and underlying biological/genetic factors. Knowledge of these underlying neural constraints may contribute to understanding typical behavioural traits at different ages and in children and adolescents who have difficulties controlling their emotions. Identification of genetic or environmental factors that can help children and adolescents regulate their feelings may also be important for development of more specific therapies.