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Review
. 2010 Feb;72(1):124-33.
doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2009.07.003. Epub 2009 Aug 19.

A time of change: behavioral and neural correlates of adolescent sensitivity to appetitive and aversive environmental cues

Leah H Somerville  1 , Rebecca M Jones, B J Casey
Affiliations
Review

A time of change: behavioral and neural correlates of adolescent sensitivity to appetitive and aversive environmental cues

Leah H Somerville et al. Brain Cogn. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental period that entails substantial changes in affective and incentive-seeking behavior relative to both childhood and adulthood, including a heightened propensity to engage in risky behaviors and experience persistent negative and labile mood states. This review discusses the emotional and incentive-driven behavioral changes in adolescents and their associated neural mechanisms, focusing on the dynamic interactions between the amygdala, ventral striatum, and prefrontal cortex. Common behavioral changes during adolescence may be associated with a heightened responsiveness to incentives and emotional cues while the capacity to effectively engage in cognitive and emotion regulation is still relatively immature. We highlight empirical work in humans and animals that addresses the interactions between these neural systems in adolescents relative to children and adults, and propose a neurobiological model that may account for the nonlinear changes in adolescent behavior. Finally, we discuss other influences that may contribute to exaggerated reward and emotion processing associated with adolescence, including hormonal fluctuations and the role of the social environment.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model for enhanced affective and incentive-based behavior in adolescence. Early maturation of subcortical regions such as the amygdala and ventral striatum (red line), combined with late maturation of prefrontal cortical regions (blue line), predicts a nonlinear enhancement in affectively-driven behavior during adolescence.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Amygdala response to facial expressions of emotion was significantly greater in adolescents than children or adults. Adapted from Hare et al., 2008, Biological Psychiatry. (B) Nucleus accumbens response to receiving a large monetary reward was significantly greater in adolescents than in children or adults. Adapted from Galvan et al., 2007, Developmental Science.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of age and individual differences as compound risk factors for predicting highly emotional and risky behavior in adolescents.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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