Week 9 lecture

Question 1

What is the adolescent brain especially sensitive to?

Answer 1

Rewards, especially social interactions and achievements

Question 2

What are primary and secondary reinforcers?

Answer 2

Primary reinforcers: Directly satisfy a basic need (e.g., food, water).
Secondary reinforcers: Associated with primary needs (e.g., money, grades).

Question 3

What behaviors do rewarding vs. aversive stimuli trigger?

Answer 3

Rewarding stimuli: Approach/appetitive behaviours.
Aversive stimuli: Avoidance behaviours.

Question 4

What part of the brain is key to reward processing?

Answer 4

The Striatum (including the nucleus accumbens).

Question 5

What is the function of the dorsal and ventral striatum?

Answer 5

Dorsal striatum: Learning.
Ventral striatum: Reward processing.

Question 6

What is the role of the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)?

Answer 6

Produces dopamine and projects it through reward pathways (mesocortical and mesolimbic).

Question 7

What activates the mesolimbic dopamine system?

Answer 7

Novel and salient cues, and both rewarding and aversive events.

Question 8

Which areas are part of the reward system and their functions?

Answer 8

Amygdala: Codes salience (importance).
Insula & OFC: Assigns a value to rewards.
ACC: Detects errors and conflicts.
mPFC: Processes self-related significance.

Question 9

How does the dopamine system change during adolescence?

Answer 9

Increases in concentration, fiber density, and input to the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

Question 10

What behavioural changes peak in adolescence?

Answer 10

Sensation-seeking and high responsiveness to rewards (ages 14-18).

Question 11

What did the Galvan study examine?

Answer 11

How teens vs. adults rate different liquids (water, sugar water, salty water) as neutral, rewarding, or aversive.

Question 12

What did the Galvan study find?

Answer 12

Teens rated sugar water as more rewarding and salt water as more aversive compared to adults.

Question 13

Which brain area showed stronger responses in teens during the Galvan study?

Answer 13

The ventral striatum, particularly the caudate.

Question 14

How is adolescent risk perception different from adults’?

Answer 14

Teens are more willing to take risks, often overestimating rewards despite low odds.

Question 15

What happens to morbidity and mortality rates during adolescence?

Answer 15

They increase by 200%.

Most fit you will ever be
Most healthy you will ever be
However, more accidents, depression, suicide, STI and reckless behaviour

Question 16

Why is adolescence paradoxical in terms of health and risk?

Answer 16

Adolescents are at peak fitness and health but show more accidents, depression, suicide, and reckless behaviors.

Question 17

How does the dopamine system change in adolescence?

Answer 17

It becomes more responsive to both rewarding and negative stimuli, leading to heightened sensation seeking.

Question 18

What is associated with riskier behavior in adolescents?

Answer 18

A heightened response in the striatum.

Question 19

What is regulatory control?

Answer 19

Aligning thoughts and actions to goals by focusing attention and ignoring distractions.

Question 20

What does the Dual Systems Model describe in adolescence?

Answer 20

A mismatch between a heightened reward system and a still-developing control system.

Question 21

What role does working memory play in adolescent decision-making?

Answer 21

It helps keep relevant information active to support focus and inhibit impulsive actions.

Question 22

What does future orientation involve?

Answer 22

Anticipating consequences, planning behavior, and balancing reward and punishment.

Question 23

How does the prefrontal cortex (PFC) develop during adolescence?

Answer 23

White matter increases, and gray matter peaks around ages 10-12, with pruning continuing into adulthood.

Question 24

What does the Go/No Go task measure, and how do adolescents perform on it?

Answer 24

It measures motor response inhibition, and adolescents typically make more mistakes than adults.

Question 25

In the Iowa Gambling Task, which card decks are disadvantageous and which are advantageous?

Answer 25

Decks A and B are disadvantageous; C and D are advantageous.

Question 26

How does vmPFC activation relate to decision-making performance in adults versus teens?

Answer 26

Adults show greater and more consistent vmPFC activation during decision-making tasks

Adolescents exhibit less consistent activation of the vmPFC, which reflects the ongoing development of this brain region