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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Social Defeat Stress Model for Adolescent C57BL/6 Male and Female Mice

Published on: March 15, 2024

Is adolescence a sensitive period for sociocultural processing?

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore¹, Kathryn L Mills

¹Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3HT United Kingdom;

Annual Review of Psychology

|September 11, 2013

Summary

Adolescent brain development involves significant structural and functional changes, particularly in social cognition areas. These brain shifts are crucial for navigating complex social environments during the teenage years.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Social Cognition

Background:

Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by biological and social transitions.
Social cognitive processes, essential for relationships, continue evolving throughout adolescence.
Understanding brain changes during this period is key to adolescent development.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe functional and structural brain changes during adolescence.
To examine how these brain changes relate to social navigation.
To highlight the importance of the social environment in adolescent research.

Main Methods:

Review of neuroimaging studies on adolescent brain development.
Analysis of structural and functional brain changes in the social brain network.
Integration of findings with theories of social cognition and executive function.

Main Results:

The adolescent brain, especially social brain regions, undergoes significant structural and functional reorganization.
These changes may represent a sensitive period for social environmental adaptation.
Interactions between brain development, executive functions, and social sensitivity influence adolescent behaviors.

Conclusions:

Adolescent brain development is intrinsically linked to social environmental adaptation.
Research on adolescent cognition and behavior should incorporate social context and rewards.
Understanding these processes has significant societal implications for supporting adolescent well-being.