Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience
Adolescence is characterized both by the exacerbation of the experience of anxiety, fear or threat, on one hand, and by increased reward seeking (reward sensitivity) and risk taking on the other hand. The rise of these apparently opposite processes, i.e., threat-related anxiety and reward-related se...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/2/268 |
| _version_ | 1827588685414006784 |
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| author | Alberto Fernández-Teruel |
| author_facet | Alberto Fernández-Teruel |
| author_sort | Alberto Fernández-Teruel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adolescence is characterized both by the exacerbation of the experience of anxiety, fear or threat, on one hand, and by increased reward seeking (reward sensitivity) and risk taking on the other hand. The rise of these apparently opposite processes, i.e., threat-related anxiety and reward-related sensation seeking, seems to stem from a relatively decreased top-down inhibition of amygdala and striatal circuits by regulatory systems (e.g., prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) that mature later. The present commentary article aims to discuss recent related literature and focusses on two main issues: (i) the septo-hippocampal system (in particular the ventral hippocampus) might be a crucial region for the regulation of approach–avoidance conflict and also for the selection of the most appropriate responses during adolescence, and (ii) developmental studies involving early-life pleasurable-enriched experience (as opposed to early-life adversity) might be a useful study paradigm in order to decipher whether neuroplasticity induced by such experiences (for example, in the hippocampus and associated circuitry) may lead to better top-down inhibition and more “balanced” adolescent responses to environmental demands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:42:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d12ef31c478f4dd3a06a3c107796b990 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:42:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-d12ef31c478f4dd3a06a3c107796b9902023-12-11T17:48:28ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-02-0111226810.3390/brainsci11020268Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched ExperienceAlberto Fernández-Teruel0Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Medical Psychology Unit, School of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, SpainAdolescence is characterized both by the exacerbation of the experience of anxiety, fear or threat, on one hand, and by increased reward seeking (reward sensitivity) and risk taking on the other hand. The rise of these apparently opposite processes, i.e., threat-related anxiety and reward-related sensation seeking, seems to stem from a relatively decreased top-down inhibition of amygdala and striatal circuits by regulatory systems (e.g., prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) that mature later. The present commentary article aims to discuss recent related literature and focusses on two main issues: (i) the septo-hippocampal system (in particular the ventral hippocampus) might be a crucial region for the regulation of approach–avoidance conflict and also for the selection of the most appropriate responses during adolescence, and (ii) developmental studies involving early-life pleasurable-enriched experience (as opposed to early-life adversity) might be a useful study paradigm in order to decipher whether neuroplasticity induced by such experiences (for example, in the hippocampus and associated circuitry) may lead to better top-down inhibition and more “balanced” adolescent responses to environmental demands.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/2/268adolescent brainanxietysensation seekingapproach–avoidance conflicthippocampusprefrontal cortex |
| spellingShingle | Alberto Fernández-Teruel Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience Brain Sciences adolescent brain anxiety sensation seeking approach–avoidance conflict hippocampus prefrontal cortex |
| title | Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience |
| title_full | Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience |
| title_fullStr | Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience |
| title_short | Conflict between Threat Sensitivity and Sensation Seeking in the Adolescent Brain: Role of the Hippocampus, and Neurobehavioural Plasticity Induced by Pleasurable Early Enriched Experience |
| title_sort | conflict between threat sensitivity and sensation seeking in the adolescent brain role of the hippocampus and neurobehavioural plasticity induced by pleasurable early enriched experience |
| topic | adolescent brain anxiety sensation seeking approach–avoidance conflict hippocampus prefrontal cortex |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/2/268 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT albertofernandezteruel conflictbetweenthreatsensitivityandsensationseekingintheadolescentbrainroleofthehippocampusandneurobehaviouralplasticityinducedbypleasurableearlyenrichedexperience |