Jan 27, 2011 14:56 GMT  ·  By
Teens process reward cues differently, which may explain why they are so susceptible to dangerous behaviors such as drug use
   Teens process reward cues differently, which may explain why they are so susceptible to dangerous behaviors such as drug use

The fact that teens are more exposed to dangers stemming from addiction is well-known, but scientists have been trying to figure out how and why their brains function the way they do for quite some time.

Among the things that affect adolescents more than any other age group the experts included drug abuse, behavioral disorders, as well as a wider variety of different psychological ills.

Behavioral scientists are convinced that they can get to the bottom of this – and explain teens' inclination towards risk-taking behavior – by examining their brain activity, PsychCentral reports.

Since they cannot use the real deal for this type of research, experts with the University of Pittsburgh investigative team turned to using rats as animal models. The group managed to publish its first conclusions already.

In the latest issue of the esteemed Journal of Neuroscience, experts at the university detail how the young human brain reacts to real or imaginary rewards with much greater excitement and anticipation than than the adult brain does.

The brain also reacts with increasingly-high degrees of disorganization, while maintaining a high level of stimulation throughout the experienced. The researchers discovered all of this by using the rat brain as a proxy for teens'.

Adult brains, on the other hand, processed the real or potential rewards with the same consistent balance of excitation and inhibition throughout the experience, demonstrating greater coolness.

These differences in activity patterns provide a possible physiological explanation for why teens behave so differently from adults, and engage in such rash behaviors. The work could also lead to the development of new tools for fighting addiction and mental diseases.

“The disorganized and excess excitatory activity we saw in this part of the brain means that reward and other stimuli are processed differently by adolescents,” explains Bita Moghaddam, PhD, the lead researcher on the new study.

“This could intensify the effect of reward on decision-making and answer several questions regarding adolescent behavior, from their greater susceptibility to substance abuse to their more extreme reactions to pleasurable and upsetting experiences,” the expert adds.

“Adolescence is a period of behavioral and psychiatric vulnerabilities, so the disorganized brain activity and excess excitation could push a brain already predisposed to mental disorders too far, triggering the onset of symptoms,” she concludes.