Question

You learned from the text that our brain continues to develop through early adulthood and there are changes in our cognitive abilities throughout our lives. Adolescence and late adulthood are times when we may see significant behavior and cognitive change. With adolescence, how is brain development related to adolescent impulsivity and what areas of the brain are indicated in adolescent behavior? With aging adults, what areas of the brain are impacted in later adulthood and what functional changes are noticed as people age?

Answer 1

there is an increased responsiveness to rewards and social and emotional situations during adolescence which is associated with a period of lack of impulse control. The impulsiveness during adolescence is associated with the increased differentiation and and development of the prefrontal cortex and the limbic systems particularly the amygdala which is the center for emotions and the hypothalamus which is the primary reward center in the brain. The neurochemical exchange between these regions relies upon the balance between excitatory and inhibitory dopamine transmission which is found to be on the rise in adolescence and early adulthood.