Multi-level Analysis of the Functioning of the Neurobiological Threat System in Adolescents: Implications for Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Purpose of Review: Advancement in knowledge of the neurobiological underpinnings of suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) will require multi-level approaches to understand the typical and atypical developmental processes in systems that are relevant to these aberrant behaviors. Here we focus on the threat system as a prototype, with the goal of integrating research investigating both the central and peripheral arms of this system, as well as the interplay between the brain and the body, during adolescence. Recent Findings: An examination of research on the central and peripheral measures of the threat system in typically and atypically developing populations illustrates how the integration of multiple levels of analysis can be optimal in the comprehensive assessment of a system’s functioning. Further, this examination of the literature to date highlights important considerations for future work incorporating populations that engage in self-harm. Summary: Future adolescent research investigating the neurobiology implicated in suicide and NSSI would benefit from the application of multiple units of analysis that is embedded in a developmental psychopathology perspective.