Study Helps Explain Risky Teenage Behavior

A series of studies has shed light on specific brain mechanisms that help explain what might be going on inside juvenile male brains that predispose them to risky behaviors. A series of 19 studies approached the question from multiple specific domains, including psychology, neurochemistry, brain imaging, clinical neuroscience and neurobiology. The results of the study showed that teenage boys produce enhanced activity in the part of the brain that controls emotions when confronted with a threat; they were mostly immune to the threat of punishment but also hypersensitive to the possibility of large gains from gambling; the study also found less activity in a molecule known to be vital in developing fear in dangerous situations. The findings point toward neurochemical differences between teenage and adult brains, which may underlie the complex behaviors exhibited by teenagers. To read more about this study, click here.