Adolescent Brains and Alcohol

Puberty is a turbulent time in a person’s life and it is often associated with impulsivity, risky behavior, and poor-decision making. Adolescence is the transition from dependence to independence from caregivers as well as the time that an individual reaches sexual maturity. In the article, “Why Are Teen Brains Designed for Risk-Taking,” Dr. Nina Mounts analyzes why adolescents are more prone to risky behavior.

Dr. Mounts defines risky behavior as dangerous driving, risky sexual behavior, drug use, and binge drinking, but why do teens engage in these behaviors in the first place? They have the same amount of skill as adults for analyzing whether a behavior is risky, but the brain regions that allow for mature decision-making are underdeveloped. Adolescents have an increased interest in peer relationships and are placed under more distress when they are excluded by those peers. Using MRI and fMRI scans, it can be seen that the lateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices are still developing during adolescence which are areas used in adults for coping with negative evaluation from peers and in making mature, self-regulated decisions. When these regions are not fully developed, teens may engage in risky behaviors to “prevent being excluded by their peers” (Mounts). Social relationships are incredibly important during teen years which can lead to poor decisions to maintain friendships. When the risky behavior is binge drinking, there can be long-term effects even after the brain is fully developed.

In “Consequences of Adolescent Ethanol Consumption on Risk Preference and Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reward,” Dr. Jamie Roitman examined how changes in the prefrontal cortex from the consumption of alcohol during adolescence might alter decision-making. The consumption of alcohol during adolescence may “impact developing cortico-striatal circuitry involved in decision-making and reward processing” (Roitman). Impaired judgement and altered response to rewards in adulthood can result from early alcohol exposure. Dr. Roitman measured risk preference and orbitofrontal cortex responses in rats after they consumed alcohol during adolescence. The study resulted in the rats showing an increased preference for large, risky rewards over small, certain rewards during their adulthood. This higher risk preference was accompanied by reduced responses to rewards in a population of neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex, an area involved in decision-making based on reward expectation. This means that rewards are not as meaningful in the long run which results in taking bigger risks to gain bigger rewards.

These results show that only moderate levels of alcohol are necessary for long-lasting effects on higher cognitive functioning, which can be seen after lower levels of alcohol consumption than binge drinking.  Adolescents are more likely to engage in risky behaviors because of their underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, but in the process, they may damage their ability to make mature decisions in their futures. Knowing that alcohol can leave persistent effects on the developing brains, it is important for parents to help their teens and prevent situations that could lead to risky behavior and, ultimately, a reduction in their ability to make mature decisions as adults.

Works Cited

Mounts, Nina S. “Why Are Teen Brains Designed for Risk-Taking?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 9 June 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-wide-wide-world-psychology/201506/why-are-teen-brains-designed-risk-taking.

Roitman, Jamie D. “Consequences of Adolescent Ethanol Consumption on RiskPreference and Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reward.” Neuropsychopharmacology, 41, 2016, pp. 1366–1375.