This document outlines different theories of how puberty develops, how puberty can be defined, the hormonal changes that occur during puberty, and how puberty can be measured.
, Which aspects of adolescent behaviour are influenced by puberty (and which are not)?
What are the mechanisms, i.e. which processes give rise to this influence?
◦ Puberty hormones remodel dopaminergic reward/motivation brain systems
◦ Gradual effects of age (not puberty) on cognitive-regulatory brain regions
◦ ‘Mismatch’ -> risk-taking, increased reward-seeking in presence of peers
Crone & Dahl SEGF model (2012)
◦ Puberty hormones remodel dopaminergic reward/motivation brain systems
◦ Cognitive-regulatory systems engaged flexibly depending on motivational context
◦ -> Heightened motivational salience of acquiring social status
◦ -> Increased tendency to seek novel and high intensity affective experiences
Environmental factors interact with neurobiological mechanisms
◦ E.g. nutrition, social experiences
What is puberty?
Important not to ignore puberty, arguably the most important defining event of adolescence
Puberty affects or is associated with
Brain physiology, anatomy and biochemistry
Wealth of evidence from non-human animals, e.g. Mohr & Sisk 2012 PNAS
Cognition and behaviour
Wealth of evidence from non-human animals
Small but growing human evidence base
Social experiences
Risk for mental illness
Sisk & Foster, 2004 Nat Neurosci; Dorn et al. 2006 Appl Dev Sci; Blakemore et al. 2010 Hum Brain
Mapp
Puberty is defined as the transition to reproductive maturity (gonadal maturation)
Comprises 3 endocrine (i.e. hormonal) events
◦ Gonadarche
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