Adolescent Health Series: Adolescent neurocognitive development in Western and Sub‐Saharan African contexts

Abstract

The transitional period of adolescence has long been associated with physical, social and behavioural change. During this time, adolescents start to develop their own selfidentity, make important life decisions and acquire the necessary skills to successfully transition to adulthood. More recently, advances in brain imaging technology have enabled increased understanding of structural and functional changes in the human brain during this developmental period, and how they relate to social, emotional, motivational and cognitive development. The ability to integrate these developing cognitive processes in increasingly complex social contexts is a key aspect of mature decisionmaking, which has implications for adolescent health, educational, economic and social outcomes. Insights from the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience could increase our understanding of this influential stage of life and thus inform potential interventions to promote adolescent health, a critical goal for global health research. Many social changes occur during adolescence and the social environment shapes both brain and cognitive development and the decisions adolescents make. Thus, it is important to study adolescent neurocognitive development in socio-cultural context. Yet, despite evidence from Western studies that socio-cultural and economic factors impact on adolescent neurocognitive development, existing studies of adolescent neurocognitive development in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively scarce. We summarise research findings from Western and sub-Saharan African contexts and highlight areas where research is lacking. Longitudinal studies from more diverse global samples will be needed to build a comprehensive model of adolescent development, that characterises both commonalities in developmental trajectories, as well as the way these can meaningfully differ between both individuals and contexts.

Psychological Resilience Interventions for Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…On the one hand, adolescence is a "leap period" of physical and mental development, especially the critical period for the maturation of the neurophysiological development process, which underlies higher cognitive functions and social and emotional behavior [9,10,12,13]. During this period, the human brain undergoes a substantial structural and functional reorganization [31]. Brain regions and systems that support resilience and related skills, such as the prefrontal cortex [32], amygdala, striatum [33][34][35], dopamine system [36], and hippocampus [37] all develop obviously and mature continuously during adolescence.…”