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Adolescent cognitive control and reward processing: implications for risk taking and substance use.
1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. cfg2@psu.edu
Hormones and Behavior
|September 4, 2013
Summary
Adolescent brain development shows ongoing improvements in cognitive control but also heightened reward sensitivity. This asynchronous maturation contributes to immature decision-making and risk-taking behaviors, including drug experimentation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Behavior
Background:
- Adolescence is a critical developmental stage characterized by cognitive control improvements.
- This period also features heightened reward seeking due to increased limbic system responsiveness.
- Immature decision-making and risk-taking are common in adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review brain maturation in reward and cognitive control systems.
- To understand the neurobiological underpinnings of adolescent risk-taking.
- To examine drug experimentation as a specific risky behavior.
Main Methods:
- Review of structural and functional brain maturation.
- Analysis of cognitive control development.
- Examination of reward system development.
Main Results:
- Adolescents show progressive cognitive control improvements but with contextual limitations.
- Reward system maturation is asynchronous with cognitive control development.
- This developmental mismatch influences decision-making and risk-taking.
Conclusions:
- Asynchronous brain maturation in adolescence contributes to risk-taking behaviors.
- Understanding these neural processes is key to addressing adolescent risk behaviors.
- Drug experimentation in adolescents is linked to these developmental changes.
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