Tag: Adolescent Brain Development

Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Impairs Behavioral Flexibility and Learning in Adult Rats, Pointing to Persistent Effects on Brain Chemistry

sarah JonasResearch Results

Rats with alcohol exposure in adolescence are less able as adults to adapt their behavior in changing circumstances, according to a study that highlights the possible brain mechanisms involved. The findings may help us better understand ways that alcohol use during the teen years can lead to long-lasting cognitive and behavioral impairments.

A WINDOW INTO ADOLESCENCE

sarah JonasResearch Results

Why do some adolescents take more risks than others?

New research from University of Delaware Biomedical Engineer Curtis Johnson and graduate student Grace McIlvain suggests that two centers in the adolescent brain, one that makes them want to take risks and the other prevents them from acting on those impulses, physically mature at different rates and that adolescents with large differences in the rate of development between these two brain regions are more likely to be risk-takers.