Brain structural correlates of risk-taking behavior and effects of peer influence in adolescents.
Adolescents are characterized by impulsive risky behavior, particularly in the presence of peers. We discriminated high and low risk-taking male adolescents aged 18-19 years by assessing their propensity for risky behavior and vulnerability to peer influence with personality tests, and compared structural differences in gray and white matter of the brain with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), respectively. We also compared the brain structures according to the participants' actual risk-taking behavior in a simulated driving task with two different social conditions making up a peer competition situation. There was a discrepancy between the self-reported personality test results and risky driving behavior (running through an intersection with traffic lights turning yellow, chancing a collision with another vehicle). Comparison between high and low risk-taking adolescents according to personality test results revealed no significant difference in gray matter volume and white matter integrity. However, comparison according to actual risk-taking behavior during task performance revealed significantly higher white matter integrity in the high risk-taking group, suggesting that increased risky behavior during adolescence is not necessarily attributed to the immature brain as conventional wisdom says.
Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Myoung Soo
MS
Kwon
Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Victor
V
Vorobyev
Department of Transport Research, SINTEF Technology and Society, Trondheim, Norway.
Dagfinn
D
Moe
Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
Riitta
R
Parkkola
Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Heikki
H
Hämäläinen
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D000067074:Peer Influence; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult