Previous morphological studies indicated that development of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to continue into late adolescence. Although functional brain imaging studies have sought to determine the time course of functional development of the PFC, it is unclear whether the developmental change occurs after adolescence to adulthood and when it achieves a peak because of the narrow or ...

The onset of adolescence is a time of profound changes in motivation, cognition, behavior, and social relationships. Existing neurodevelopmental models have integrated our current understanding of adolescent brain development; however, there has been surprisingly little focus on the importance of adolescence as a sensitive period for romantic and sexual development. As young people enter adoles...

Social cognition provides humans with the necessary skills to understand and interact with one another. One aspect of social cognition, mentalizing, is associated with a network of brain regions often referred to as the 'social brain.' These consist of medial prefrontal cortex [medial Brodmann Area 10 (mBA10)], temporoparietal junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and anteri...

The adolescent transition is associated with increases in rewardand sensation-seeking, peer-directed social interactions, and risk-taking, with exploratory use of alcohol and other drugs often beginning at this time. These age-related behaviors may have biological roots embedded in the evolutionary past, with similar adolescent-typical characteristics evident across a variety of mammalian speci...

BACKGROUND Adolescent female depressive symptomatology is an unrecognized mood disorder that impairs health in adolescence or adulthood. However, the long-term effects of pre-pregnancy depressive symptoms on birth outcomes in adulthood have not been given adequate empirical assessments. METHOD In this study, we assessed the relationship between the life time duration of depressive symptoms ov...

Adolescence. By L. A. Averill, Head of the Department of Psychology, State Teachers College, Worcester, Mass. Harrap. 8/6. This is an interesting book about a very important and difficult subject, and on the whole the book is a successful one. It is based upon the case study method of approach and the cases selected by the author for presentation are generally significant and interesting. Mater...

Adolescence, a period of transition between childhood and adulthood, occupies a crucial position in the life of human beings. Anthropometry is especially important during adolescence because it allows the monitoring and evaluation of nutritional status of adolescents.A school based cross sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of adolescents in urban Vadodara. Seven hundr...

The effects of toxicants depend on the dose and the time in the life span when exposure occurs. The biology of adolescence is distinctive and provides opportunities for unique actions of toxicants both in terms of disruption of function and disruption of maturation. Maturation of a number of organ systems occurs during this period, including not only the reproductive system but also the respira...

Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that adolescence may represent a period of vulnerability that, in the context of adverse events, could contribute to developmental trajectories toward behavioral and emotional health problems, including affective disorders. Adolescence is also a sensitive period for the development of neural systems supporting cognitive-affective processes, which have...