LIMBIC SYSTEM

Taking risk is a characteristic of adolescence and it can be explain by the limbic system which is located inside the brain.

 It is responsible for the emotion and reward processing; if you do fun things such as taking risk your brain gives you a rewarding feeling. 

The prefrontal is in charge of do not allow us taking risks but in teenagers it is still developing that is the reason for that an adolescent takes more risks than child and adults do.

In conclusion adolescence is the period of human´s life when the brain is very malleable and adaptable. It is the perfect time to learn new things and humans can strengthen the synapses in nerve cells. So you do not have to be worried about moody adolescents it is just part of the opportunity for education and social development.

 

REFERENCES

Case, BJ (2008) “The adolescent brain” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2475802/

Leijenhorst L;  Zanolie K; Van Meel C; Westenberg M; Rombouts S; Crone S. (2009) “What Motivates the Adolescent? Brain Regions Mediating Reward Sensitivity across Adolescence” http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/1/61.full

Bava, S; Tapert, S (2010). “Adolescent Brain Development and the Risk for Alcohol

and Other Drug Problems”  http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/314/art%253A10.1007%252Fs11065-010-9146-6.pdf?auth66=1387539085_f2cf7c7548ebf1d1d75bcaf32f2118f0&ext=.pdf

Sowell, E; Thompson, P; Holmes, C; Jernigan, T; Toga, A (1999). “In vivo evidence for post-adolescent brain maturation in frontal and striatal regions” http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~esowell/nn1099_859.pdf

Spear, L (2000). “The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations” http://faculty.weber.edu/eamsel/Classes/Child%203000/Adolescent%20Risk%20taking/Lectures/3-4%20Biological/Spear%20LV%20%20(2000).pdf

Blakemore,S;  Choudhury, S (2006) “Development of the adolescent brain: implications for executive function and social cognition” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01611.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

 

Nosarti, C; Mazin, H; Asady, A; Frangou, S;Stewart, A; Rifkin, L and Murray, R (2002) “Adolescents who were born very preterm have decreased brain volumes” http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/125/7/1616.full

Chiron,C; Raynaud,C;  Zilbovicius, B; Laflamme, L; Masure, M; Dulac, O; Bourguignon, M and Syrota, A (1992) “Changes in Regional Cerebral Blood Flow DuringBrain Maturation in Children and Adolescents” http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/33/5/696.full.pdf