As denoted in our model of adolescence, two key regions implicated in cognitive and motivational behavior are the prefrontal cortex, known to be important for cognitive control 43 and the striatum critical in detecting and learning about novel and rewarding cues in the environment 44. We highlight recent animal and human imaging work on neurobiological changes supporting these motivational and cognitive systems across development in the context of the previous behavioral findings on the development of sensation-seeking and impulsivity. We use the previously described imbalance model of linear development of top down prefrontal regions relative to a curvilinear function for development of bottom-up striatal regions involved in detecting salient cues in the environment to ground the findings. The importance of examining circuitry rather than specific regional change, especially within frontostriatal circuits that underlie different forms of goal-oriented behavior is key. This perspective moves the field away from examination of how each region matures in isolation to how they may interact in the context of interconnected circuits.
