The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in the control of complex cognitive processes
including action control and decision making. It also shows a specific pattern of delayed …

Surprise signals a discrepancy between past and current beliefs. It is theorized to be linked
to affective experiences, the creation of particularly resilient memories, and segmentation of …

Although the function of dopamine in subcortical structures is largely limited to reward and
movement, dopamine neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critical to a …

Background Neural activation during reward processing is thought to underlie critical
behavioral changes that take place during the transition to adolescence (eg, learning, risk …

Sex is a biological variable that contributes to the incidence, clinical course, and treatment
outcome of brain disorders. Chief among these are disorders associated with the dopamine …

Actions motivated by rewards are often associated with risk of punishment. Little is known
about the neural representation of punishment risk during reward-seeking behavior. We …

Compared with adults, adolescent behavior is often characterized by reduced behavioral
flexibility, increased sensitivity to reward, and increased likelihood to take risks. These traits …

Reward motivation enhances memory through interactions between mesolimbic,
hippocampal, and cortical systems, both during and after encoding. Developmental changes …

Neuronal underpinning of learning cause-and-effect associations in the adolescent brain
remains poorly understood. Two fundamental forms of associative learning are Pavlovian …

The most dynamic period of postnatal brain development occurs during adolescence, the
period between childhood and adulthood. Neuroimaging studies have observed …