That said, it is important to note, as several of the contributors to this issue have stated, that “different” does not necessarily mean “deficient”; that while there are some universals in adolescent brain development, there are also important individual differences; and that the process of brain maturation in adolescence (or during any period, for that matter) unfolds within an environmental context that influences the course of neural development and moderates its expression in emotion, behavior, and cognition. It is also important to acknowledge that we currently have a better understanding of the ways in which adolescent brain development may contribute to psychopathology and problem behavior than we do of the ways in which it may contribute to normative development and positive functioning, and that researchers have paid more attention to the study of universals and processes of biological maturation than to individual differences and environmental influences. As the field matures, and as collaborations between neuroscientists and non-neuroscientists become more common, attention to these issues will most likely increase.
