The Teenage Brain

Recent neuroscientific studies have pinpointed a relative imbalance between the development of subcortical-affective and prefrontal-control brain networks that creates specific sensitivities during adolescence. Despite these advances in understanding adolescent brain development, there is a strong need for a more mechanistic understanding of the way these limbic and frontal-cortical areas interact and contribute to adolescents’ risky and social decision-making. We discuss a neuroeconomic approach that has the potential to significantly forward the understanding of decision making in adolescence.