Much risk taking, such as drug use and risky sex, takes place in a social context, where a person must weigh social as well as behavioral risks and rewards. Although it is true at any age, the impact of social context is particularly prominent during adolescence, when most salient rewards and threats are in the social domain. For many adolescents, social risks may outweigh risks in other domains (such as health concerns) during the decision-making process. It is proposed that brain changes in adolescence that lead to critical changes in social-affective processing play a key role in increased risk-taking. Thus, identifying the relationships between neural processes underlying social-affective processing and risk-taking may be a crucial step to begin identifying behavioral and neural targets for interventions to reduce excessive risk-taking.
We suggest that behavior typically interpreted as increased risk-taking in adolescence is at least partly due to hypersensitivity to the social context, and, more specifically, social risk. In order to minimize social risks teens will often take on risk in other domains (including the risks associated with drug use). We are interested in research investigating the interplay between social risk and other aspects of adolescent and adult behavior, decision-making and neurobiology. The questions we wish to cover include, but are not limited to:
• What are the neural substrates underlying the impact of social context on risk-taking?
• Are these neural substrates different between adolescents and adults?
• Does this sensitivity to social risk lead to hyposensitivity to risk in other domains, increasing adolescents’ willingness to take on drug abuse, and participate in unprotected sex and other risky behaviors?
• Are these individual differences related to differences in the underlying neural processing?
A growing body of research indicates that decision-making, results from a dynamic interplay between at least three systems: (1) a relatively implicit or automatic appetitive system, (2) a cognitive control system, and (3) the insular cortex (IC), which plays a key role in translating interoceptive signals into what one subjectively experiences as a feeling of desire, anticipation, or urge. We are particularly interested in the role of the IC and insular-centered networks, because insula is less studied and is at the crossroads of affective processing interoception, decision-making, addiction, and social brain networks.
Much risk taking, such as drug use and risky sex, takes place in a social context, where a person must weigh social as well as behavioral risks and rewards. Although it is true at any age, the impact of social context is particularly prominent during adolescence, when most salient rewards and threats are in the social domain. For many adolescents, social risks may outweigh risks in other domains (such as health concerns) during the decision-making process. It is proposed that brain changes in adolescence that lead to critical changes in social-affective processing play a key role in increased risk-taking. Thus, identifying the relationships between neural processes underlying social-affective processing and risk-taking may be a crucial step to begin identifying behavioral and neural targets for interventions to reduce excessive risk-taking.
We suggest that behavior typically interpreted as increased risk-taking in adolescence is at least partly due to hypersensitivity to the social context, and, more specifically, social risk. In order to minimize social risks teens will often take on risk in other domains (including the risks associated with drug use). We are interested in research investigating the interplay between social risk and other aspects of adolescent and adult behavior, decision-making and neurobiology. The questions we wish to cover include, but are not limited to:
• What are the neural substrates underlying the impact of social context on risk-taking?
• Are these neural substrates different between adolescents and adults?
• Does this sensitivity to social risk lead to hyposensitivity to risk in other domains, increasing adolescents’ willingness to take on drug abuse, and participate in unprotected sex and other risky behaviors?
• Are these individual differences related to differences in the underlying neural processing?
A growing body of research indicates that decision-making, results from a dynamic interplay between at least three systems: (1) a relatively implicit or automatic appetitive system, (2) a cognitive control system, and (3) the insular cortex (IC), which plays a key role in translating interoceptive signals into what one subjectively experiences as a feeling of desire, anticipation, or urge. We are particularly interested in the role of the IC and insular-centered networks, because insula is less studied and is at the crossroads of affective processing interoception, decision-making, addiction, and social brain networks.
