Collectively, these data suggest that although adolescents as a group are considered risk-takers 41, some adolescents will be more prone than others to engage in risky behaviors, putting them at potentially greater risk for negative outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual variability when examining complex brain-behavior relationships related to risk-taking and impulsivity in developmental populations. Further, these individual and developmental differences may help to explain vulnerability in some individuals to risk-taking which is associated with substance use, and ultimately, addiction 64.
