Ventral striatum activation to prosocial rewards predicts longitudinal declines in adolescent risk taking

Abstract

Adolescence is a period of intensified emotions and an increase in motivated behaviors and passions. Evidence from developmental neuroscience suggests that this heightened emotionality occurs, in part, due to a peak in functional reactivity to rewarding stimuli, which renders adolescents more oriented towards reward-seeking behaviors. Most prior work has focused on how reward sensitivity may create vulnerabilities, leading to increases in risk taking. Here, we test whether heightened reward sensitivity may potentially be an asset for adolescents when engaged in prosocial activities. Thirty-two adolescents were followed over a one-year period to examine whether ventral striatum activation to prosocial rewards predicts decreases in risk taking over a year. Results show that heightened ventral striatum activation to prosocial stimuli relates to longitudinal declines in risk taking. Therefore, the very same neural region that has conferred vulnerability for adolescent risk taking may also be protective against risk taking.

Adolescent sensitivity to rewards, risk-taking, and adaptive behaviour: development of the dual systems perspective

“…In another fMRI study, Telzer et al [25] used the same 'you vs. family' decision-making task as well as the Balloon Analogue Risk Task to check if reward-related neural activity can predict the presence of peer observers, and even more when peers provide prosocial feedback. Contrary to the work of Telzer et al [8,23,25] and Braams et al [26,27], the fMRI data showed that activity of the reward system does not increase during donation choices or when receiving peer feedback. There was, however, an increase in the activity of the social brain network (medial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction, and superior temporal sulcus) in such cases.…”

“…Findings such as those of Telzer et al [8,23,25] and Braams et al [26,27] highlight the crucial role of the reward system in risky or prosocial decisions made by adolescents in various social situations. These findings can be interpreted as follows: due to heightened sensitivity to incentives, adolescents may be particularly prone to choosing actions that are rewarded in the current social context.…”

“…In a series of experiments, Telzer et al [8,23,25] demonstrated that rewarding aspects of being prosocial can protect adolescents from risky behaviour and depressive symptoms. Considering that engagement in prosocial behaviour (e.g.…”

“…Considering that engagement in prosocial behaviour (e.g. charity) is usually accompanied by rewarding feelings and heightened dopaminergic activity [24], Telzer et al [23] used a task in which adolescents make a series of decisions about earning money for themselves or giving it to their families (e.g. 'you -3$, family -0$;' 'you -1$, family -3$).…”

Adolescent School-Based Sex Education: Using Developmental Neuroscience to Guide New Directions for Policy and Practice

“…While increased VS activation during adolescence has traditionally been associated with increased sensation seeking and risk-taking, some new research suggests that in the context of meaningful prosocial behavior, it may also be associated with declines in risk-taking (Telzer, Fuligni, Lieberman, & Galván, 2012). The limited capacity of adolescents to predict the emotional pleasure of rewards coupled with an enhanced capacity to experience rewards may help explain their risk-taking and sensation seeking behavior (Crone & Dahl, 2012).…”