The findings may help identify adolescents who are at risk for dangerous behaviors

The findings may help identify adolescents who are at risk for dangerous behaviors - future

According to the CDC, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death teens. Compared to the two major causes of death for all Americans, heart disease and cancer, model making questionable decision in dire situations comes to light in mortality among adolescents. New research from the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas investigation brain differences associated with teenagers take risks found connections between certain brain regions are amplified in adolescents more prone to risks.

"Our brains have an emotional regulation network that exists to regulate emotions and influences decision making," says lead study author, Sam Dewitt. "Antisocial behavior or risk-search can be associated with an imbalance in the network. "

The study, published in the June 30 Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging , looked at 36 teens 12-17; eighteen teens to take risks were age and sex matched with a group of 18 teenagers at risk of not taking. Participants were selected for risk taking behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use, sexual promiscuity, and physical violence and underwent functional MRI (fMRI) scans to examine the communication between regions brain associated with emotional regulation network. Interestingly, the risk-taking group showed a significantly lower income compared to the group taking no risk.

"Most fMRI scans used to in conjunction with special visual task. In recent years, however, it was demonstrated that achieving an fMRI brain analysis during a state 'wandering mind "is just as valuable," said Sina Aslan, Ph.D., president of Advance MRI and adjunct associate professor at BrainHealth Center at University of Texas at Dallas. "In this case, the brain regions associated with centers of emotion and reward show the same connection when they are not explicitly involved have increased."

The study shows that teens who take risks have Hyperconnectivity between the amygdala, a center responsible for the emotional reactivity and specific areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with emotion regulation and critical thinking. The researchers also found increased activity between the regions of the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, a center for the reward sensitivity that is often involved in research on addiction.

"Our findings are critical in that they help to identify brain potential biomarkers that, when taken in context with behavioral differences, may help identify adolescents at risk behaviors dangerous and disease in the future, "said Dewitt.

He also stressed that although the risk-taking group involved in risk behaviors, none met the clinical criteria for use of behavioral or substance disorders.

by identifying these factors early on, the researchers hope to have a better chance to provide effective cognitive strategies to help at-risk teenagers looking regulate their emotions and avoid behavioral risk taking and substance abuse .