Likewise, there is mounting evidence from human functional neuroimaging studies on how subcortical systems like the striatum and the prefrontal cortex interact to give rise to risky behavior observed in adolescents 71. The majority of imaging studies have focused on one or the other regions showing that the prefrontal cortex, thought to subserve age-related improvement in cognitive control 72–78 undergoes delayed maturation 4, 79, 80 while striatal regions sensitive to novelty and reward manipulations develop earlier 74, 81. Several groups have shown that adolescents show heightened activation of the ventral striatum in anticipation and/or receipt of rewards compared to adults 6, 15, 17, 18, but others report a hypo-responsiveness 82.
