Chunk #26 — Neurocognitive and Brain Functional Response Systems and Their Operational Relationships to the Undercontrol/Disinhibition Developmental Pathway
Developmentally, just when there is major build-up of opportunity for substance use in later adolescence, neural alterations in both frontal “control” system and subcortical “incentive” system are taking place. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is one of the last brain regions to mature, with myelogenesis continuing into early adulthood (Benes, 2001; Gogtay et al., 2004). Conversely, limbic and striatal systems are mature and responding to cues during adolescence (Galvan et al., 2006). Overall, the relatively early maturation of subcortical activation systems compared with prefrontal control systems may bias adolescent motivation toward immediate over long-term reward (i.e., disinhibition). How this risk may work during childhood remains to be discovered.
