Preteens who like exploring or trying out new things may have differently hardwired brains compared to their more conservative counters, says a study.
To be presented at the 67th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Washington, D.C., the study takes a look at preteens' willingness to pursue new experiences and explores data from previous research stating a part of the brain known as the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, which has been determined to be associated with higher levels of decision-making.
Andrew Kayser, M.D., one of the study's authors, explained that the start of adolescence is usually associated with interest in seeking new experiences and an increase in exploratory behavior. However, little has been done to quantify the increase or to determine what is happening in the brain during the period.
For the study, 62 girls aged between 11 and 13 years old were told to complete a task designed to measure their experimenting and exploratory behavior. The girls also got MRI scans to give researchers a closer look at their brain structures.
The task involved stopping the clock's second hand, with the girls receiving rewards based on when the second hand is stopped. As a result, the girls had to explore the clock, stopping the second hand at different times in an effort to determine what would generate the most rewards.
Based on the results of the task, the researchers classified the girls into two: explorers and non-explorers. There were 41 explorers and 21 non-explorers.
Researchers also examined the results of the girls' brain scans and found that those from the explorer group had stronger connections between the putamen and posterior insula parts of the brain and the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex. The putamen is responsible for actions carried out while the posterior insula has to do with the body's state. Researchers also discovered that instead of the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex influencing the two other parts, the putamen and posterior insula actually had more influence over it.
Researchers were fascinated with the results of the study because they help in understanding how a preference for exploring has the potential to lead a teen into good and bad behavior, which will affect their well-being. The more brain connections are understood, the easier it will be to identify teens likely to express risky behavior and help them.
The State of California, the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, the National Center for Responsible Gaming and the Department of Defense supported the study.
