Cited by 311Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesSchizophrenia research and treatment

Developmental changes in dopamine neurotransmission in adolescence: Behavioral implications and issues in assessment

Open access
Wahlstrom, Dustin, Collins, Paul, White, Tonya, Luciana, Monica·2010·Brain and Cognition

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by increased risk-taking, novelty-seeking, and locomotor activity, all of which suggest a heightened appetitive drive. The neurotransmitter dopamine is typically associated with behavioral activation and heightened forms of appetitive behavior in mammalian species, and this pattern of activation has been described in terms of a neurobehavioral system that underlies incentive-motivated behavior. Adolescence may be a time of elevated activity within this system. This review provides a summary of changes within cortical and subcortical dopaminergic systems that may account for changes in cognition and affect that characterize adolescent behavior. Because there is a dearth of information regarding neurochemical changes in human adolescents, models for assessing links between neurochemical activity and behavior in human adolescents will be described using molecular genetic techniques. Furthermore, we will suggest how these techniques can be combined with other methods such as pharmacology to measure the impact of dopamine activity on behavior and how this relation changes through the lifespan.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.bandc.2009.10.013

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  • Childhood and adolescence are sensitive periods in which these neurobiological systems develop and change, making young people particularly vulnerable to insult.

    “Childhood and adolescence are sensitive periods in which these systems develop and change [26–29], making them particularly vulnerable to insult.”

    From Psychological impacts of “screen time” and “green time” for children and adolescents: A systematic scoping review (2020) · cites this paper as [26]

    The Introduction describes widespread neurobiological changes during adolescence, supporting that part of the cited sentence. The passages do not establish childhood as a sensitive period or say that these changes make young people particularly vulnerable to insult; the vulnerability discussed in Section II concerns negative consequences of adolescent risk-seeking. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • The brain mechanisms of interest here show a distinctive pattern of development: subcortical regions involved in incentive motivation develop faster than the prefrontal regions that exert inhibition in the interests of long-term consequences.

    “The brain mechanisms of interest here show a distinctive pattern of development: subcortical regions involved in incentive motivation develop faster than the prefrontal regions that exert inhibition in the interests of long-term consequences (Gladwin et al., 2011;Wahlstrom et al., 2010).”

    From A motivation model of sex addiction – Relevance to the controversy over the concept (2022) · cites this paper as Wahlstrom et al., 2010

    Section V describes heightened adolescent incentive motivation alongside slower prefrontal structural development and potentially weaker behavioral inhibition. But it presents their interaction as a hypothesis, not an established finding that subcortical regions develop faster than prefrontal regions; it also says there is no clear cortical–subcortical difference in overall dopamine activity. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The DA system undergoes marked developmental changes through adolescence and into adulthood.

    “Marked developmental alterations are seen in the DA system through adolescence and into adulthood, as reviewed recently elsewhere (Ernst et al, 2009; Galvan, 2010; Wahlstrom et al, 2010).”
  • Marked developmental alterations occur in the DA system through adolescence and into adulthood.

    “Marked developmental alterations are seen in the DA system through adolescence and into adulthood, as reviewed recently elsewhere (Ernst et al, 2009; Galvan, 2010; Wahlstrom et al, 2010).”
  • An adolescent-limited increase in IM confers evolutionary advantages and promotes learning, encouraging a sense of agency as youth transition to adult independence.

    “An adolescent-limited increase in IM is a positive development that may confer evolutionary advantages and that serves ultimately--through the promotion of learning--to encourage a sense of agency as youth make the transition to adult independence (Spear, 2000; Wahlstrom et al., 2010).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Jones EG Peters A Jones EG Laminar distribution of cortical efferent cells Cerebral Cortex 1984 Vol. 1 New York Plenum Press 521 553

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Authors
Wahlstrom, D., Collins, P., White, T., & Luciana, M.
Affiliations
University of Minnesota (US)
Corresponding author
Luciana, Monica
Venue
Brain and Cognition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-02
Volume
72
Issue
1
Pages
146-159
ISSN
0278-2626 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2168203121
Cited by
311
References
195
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 11
FWCI
0.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Brain and Cognition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH017069)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA017843, R01DA017843)
  • National Center for Research Resources (M01RR000400, M01-RR00400)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords
dopamine signaling, adolescence, appetitive behavior, risk-taking, novelty seeking, dopaminergic system, molecular genetics, pharmacological evaluation, lifespan development, cognitive and emotional development
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Animals, Behavior, Brain, Dopamine, Humans, Neural Pathways, Synaptic Transmission, Adolescent Development

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