Adolescence is characterized by making risky decisions. Early lesion and neuroimaging
studies in adults pointed to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and related structures as …

Highlights•We examine how trajectories of brain development shape adolescent decision
processes.•Prolonged prefrontal development may constrain multiple component processes …

Adolescence is associated with heightened mortality rates due in large measure to negative
consequences from risky behaviors. Theories of adolescent risk taking posit that it is driven …

Adolescence is a unique, transitional period of human development. Once hallmark of this
period is progressive improvements (relative to children) in cognitive control, core mental …

Background. Risk-taking behavior is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
adolescence. In the context of decision theory and motivated (goal-directed) behavior, risk …

It can be argued that adolescents' decision making is biased more by motivational factors
than by cognitively driven calculations of outcome probabilities. Brain‐based models …

Risk taking and novelty seeking are hallmarks of typical adolescent behavior. Adolescents
seek new experiences and higher levels of rewarding stimulation, and often engage in risky …

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by suboptimal decisions and actions
that give rise to an increased incidence of unintentional injuries and violence, alcohol and …

The relation between brain development across adolescence and adolescent risky behavior
has attracted increasing interest in recent years. It has been proposed that adolescents are …

Understanding how immaturities in the reward system affect decision-making can inform us
on adolescent vulnerabilities to risk-taking, which is a primary contributor to mortality and …