Adolescent refinement of a social information processing network is one model connecting adolescent social development with brain changes (Nelson et al., 2005). This framework describes three interconnected functional nodes with distinct neural structural underpinnings: the detection node (inferior occipital cortex, inferior and anterior temporal cortex, intraparietal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus), the affective node (amygdala, ventral striatum, septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamus, and orbitofrontal cortex in some conditions), and the cognitive-regulatory node (portions of the prefrontal cortex). The detection node determines whether stimuli contain social information, which is further processed by the affective node which imbues such stimuli with emotional significance. The cognitive-regulatory node further processes this information, performing more complex operations related to perceiving the mental states of others, inhibiting prepotent responses, and generating goal-directed behavior (Nelson et al., 2005). Adolescent changes in the sensitivity and interaction of these nodes is hypothesized to intensify social and emotional experiences, strongly influence adolescent decision making, and contribute to the emergence of psychopathologies during this period (Nelson et al., 2005).
