The social re-orientation of adolescence: a neuroscience perspective on the process and its relation to psychopathology

Abstract

Background. Many changes in social behavior take place during adolescence. Sexuality and romantic interests emerge during this time, and adolescents spend more time with peers and less time with parents and family. While such changes in social behavior have been well documented in the literature, relatively few neurophysiological explanations for these behavioral changes have been presented.Method. In this article we selectively review studies documenting (a) the neuronal circuits that are dedicated to the processing of social information; (b) the changes in social behavior that take place during adolescence; (c) developmental alterations in the adolescent brain; and (d) links between the emergence of mood and anxiety disorders in adolescence and changes in brain physiology occurring at that time.Results. The convergence of evidence from this review indicates a relationship between development of brain physiology and developmental changes in social behavior. Specifically, the surge of gonadal steroids at puberty induces changes within the limbic system that alters the emotional attributions applied to social stimuli while the gradual maturation of the prefrontal cortex enables increasingly complex and controlled responses to social information.Conclusions. Observed alterations in adolescent social behavior reflect developmental changes in the brain social information processing network. We further speculate that dysregulation of the social information processing network in this critical period may contribute to the onset of mood and anxiety disorders during adolescence.

Affective decision-making deficits, linked to a dysfunctional ventromedial prefrontal cortex, revealed in 10th grade Chinese adolescent binge drinkers

“…This is a behavioral study, and we can only speculate about underlying neural mechanisms underlying hypersensitivity to reward in adolescence from several lines of previous research. Several studies suggest that exaggerated processing of reward in adolescents might be linked to the amygdala-ventral striatum system (Andersen, 2003;Dahl, 2004;Nelson, Leibenluft, McClure, & Pine, 2005); this system is important for automatic and obligatory affective/ emotional responses and stimulus-reward (incentive) learning (Bechara, Damasio, & Damasio, 2003;Bechara, 2004aBechara, , 2004bBuchel, Morris, Dolan, & Friston, 1998). Other research demonstrates that the prefrontal cortex may not develop fully until the age of 21 (Giedd, 2004;Gogtay et al, 2004), suggesting that the ability to exercise control over powerful temptations is still developing through adolescence.…”

Age differences in the prosocial influence effect

“…It is a period of significant social reorientation (van den Bos, 2013; Nelson, Leibenluft, McClure, & Pine, 2005), when individuals start to spend less time with their family and more time with their peers (Lam, McHale, & Crouter, 2014; Larson & Richards, 1991), and place more importance on what their peers think about them (O'Brien & Bierman, 1988). The heightened susceptibility to social influence in adolescents, relative to adults, paired with increased independence from their family, can lead adolescents to take more risks when with their peers.…”

A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of reward-related brain activation: Effects of age, pubertal stage, and reward sensitivity

“…Neurobiological models of adolescent development have suggested that adolescents are more sensitive to rewards due to a relatively increased limbic response in combination with reduced down-regulation by the prefrontal cortex and other cortical areas (Ernst & Fudge, 2009;Nelson, Leibenluft, McClure, & Pine, 2005;Somerville, Jones, & Casey, 2010). Accordingly, these models suggest that such neurobiological changes may underlie typical adolescents' risky behaviors such as substance abuse, unsafe sexual behavior, and reckless driving (Dahl, 2004;Steinberg et al, 2008).…”