Citation

Crone EA, van Duijvenvoorde AC, Peper JS. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 2016; 57(3): 353-368.

Affiliation

Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jcpp.12502

PMID

26889896

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Risk-taking, which involves voluntary choices for behaviors where outcomes remain uncertain, undergoes considerable developmental changes during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. In addition, risk-taking is thought to be a key element of many externalizing disorders, such as ADHD, delinquency, conduct disorder, and substance abuse. In this review, we will discuss the potential adaptive and nonadaptive properties of risk-taking in childhood and adolescence.

FINDINGS: We propose that the changes in brain architecture and function are a crucial element underlying these developmental trajectories. We first identify how subcortical and cortical interactions are important for understanding risk-taking behavior in adults. Next, we show how developmental changes in this network underlie changes in risk-taking behavior. Finally, we explore how these differences can be important for understanding externalizing behavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that longitudinal studies are of crucial importance for understanding these developmental trajectories, and many of these studies are currently underway.

Language: en