We tested whether adolescents with daily high identity uncertainty showed differential structural brain development across adolescence and young adulthood. Participants (N = 150, M_ageT1 15.92 years) were followed across three waves, covering 4 years. Self-reported daily educational identity and structural brain data of lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC)/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial PFC, and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was collected across three waves. All hypotheses were pre-registered. Latent class growth analyses confirmed 2 identity subgroups: an identity synthesis class (characterized by strong commitments, and low uncertainty), and an identity moratorium class (high daily identity uncertainty). Latent growth curve models revealed, on average, delayed maturation of the lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC and stable NAcc. Yet, adolescents in identity moratorium showed lower levels and less decline in NAcc gray matter volume. Lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC trajectories did not differ between identity subgroups. Exploratory analyses revealed that adolescents with higher baseline levels and delayed maturation of lateral PFC/ACC and medial PFC gray matter volume, surface area, and cortical thickness reported higher baseline levels and stronger increases of in-depth exploration. These results provide insight into how individual differences in brain development relate to fluctuations in educational identity development across adolescence and young adulthood.

我们测试了日常身份不确定性较高的青少年在青少年和成年后是否表现出不同的大脑结构发育。参与者（Ñ = 150，中号_ageT115.92年），历经3次浪潮，历时4年。自我报告的日常教育身份和外侧前额叶皮层（lPFC）/前扣带回皮层（ACC），内侧PFC和伏隔核（NAcc）的结构性大脑数据收集了三波。所有假设均已预先注册。潜伏类增长分析确认了两个身份亚组：身份综合类（以坚定的承诺和较低的不确定性为特征）和身份暂停类（每日的身份不确定性较高）。潜在生长曲线模型平均显示外侧PFC / ACC和内侧PFC的延迟成熟以及稳定的NAcc。然而，处于身份暂停状态的青少年表现出较低的水平，NAcc灰质含量的下降较少。身份亚组之间的外侧PFC / ACC和内侧PFC轨迹没有差异。探索性分析显示，青少年的基线水平较高，外侧PFC / ACC和内侧PFC灰质体积，表面积和皮层厚度的延迟成熟报告了较高的基线水平和更强的深度探索。这些结果提供了关于大脑发育的个体差异如何与整个青春期和成年期的教育身份发展的波动相关的见解。