The same correlation exists when it comes to depression

Mar 20, 2012 08:28 GMT  ·  By
Lab rat study indicates the teen brain is more predisposed to addiction and depression
   Lab rat study indicates the teen brain is more predisposed to addiction and depression

According to the conclusions of a new scientific investigation, it would appear that teenagers' brains are more prone to experience addictions or depression than the adult brain. The study was conducted on lab rats, but investigators at the University of Pittsburgh believe it applies to humans as well.

The two species are more alike – at least as far as brains go – than most people know or would care to admit. This is why the unsuspecting rodents are used as proxies for this type of studies, experts say.

In a new series of experiments, scientists measured the electrical activity in the brains of both adult and teen rats, as the animals were completing a task at the end of which they were expecting a reward.

Thinking about this reward made a region of the brain called the dorsal striatum (DS) light up in teen rats, but not in adults. DS is known to play a role in the formation of new habits, in making decisions, and in motivated learning, too.

“The brain region traditionally associated with reward and motivation, called the nucleus accumbens, was activated similarly in adults and adolescents,” researcher Bita Moghaddam, PhD, explains.

“But the unique sensitivity of adolescent DS to reward anticipation indicates that, in this age group, reward can tap directly into a brain region that is critical for learning and habit formation,” she adds.

Moghaddam was the leader of the new investigation, and also a coauthor of a scientific paper describing the findings. The work is published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), PsychCentral reports.

The researcher holds an appointment as a professor of neuroscience with Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, at the University of Pittsburgh. For this investigation, the science team analyzed neurons both as individuals and as groups, using a method called behavioral clamping.

“Adolescence is a time when the symptoms of most mental illnesses – such as schizophrenia and bipolar and eating disorders – are first manifested, so we believe that this is a critical period for preventing these illnesses,” Moghaddam explains.

“A better understanding of how the adolescent brain processes reward and decision-making is critical for understanding the basis of these vulnerabilities and designing prevention strategies,” she concludes.