Adolescence has been characterized by risk-taking behaviors that can lead to fatal
outcomes. This study examined the neurobiological development of neural systems
implicated in reward-seeking behaviors. Thirty-seven participants (7–29 years of age) were
scanned using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging and a paradigm that
parametrically manipulated reward values. The results show exaggerated accumbens
activity, relative to prefrontal activity in adolescents, compared with children and adults …

The article provides an overview of the research relating to orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of
teenagers conducted by BJ Casey, Adrianna Galvan, and colleagues at Cornell and
Stanford Universities. The researchers investigate 13 children, 12 adolescents, and 12
adults by giving an opportunity to win $25 playing a video game. Moreover, results indicate
that the neural responses confirmed the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is underdeveloped in
childhood and adolescence relative to adulthood.