Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
Published on: February 20, 2019
Risk-taking and decision-making in youth: relationships to addiction vulnerability
Kornelia N Balogh1, Linda C Mayes, Marc N Potenza
1Department of Psychiatry, VA Connecticut Healthcare/Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, USA.
Background:
Decision-making and risk-taking behavior undergo developmental changes during adolescence. Disadvantageous decision-making and increased risk-taking may lead to problematic behaviors such as substance use and abuse, pathological gambling and excessive internet use.
Methods:
Based on MEDLINE searches, this article reviews the literature on decision-making and risk-taking and their relationship to addiction vulnerability in youth.
Results:
Decision-making and risk-taking behaviors involve brain areas that undergoing developmental changes during puberty and young adulthood. Individual differences and peer pressure also relate importantly to decision-making and risk-taking.
Conclusions:
Brain-based changes in emotional, motivational and cognitive processing may underlie risk-taking and decision-making propensities in adolescence, making this period a time of heightened vulnerability for engagement in additive behaviors.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Drug Dependence
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...

