A dramatic maturational process ongoing in adolescence is prefrontal cortex development, including its dopamine innervation. Dopamine axons grow from the striatum to the prefrontal cortex, the only known case of long-distance axon growth during adolescence. This is coordinated by the Netrin-1 guidance cue receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer), which in turn controls the intrinsic development of the prefrontal cortex itself. Stimulant drugs in adolescence alter DCC in dopamine neurons and, in turn prefrontal cortex maturation, impacting cognitive abilities. Variations in DCC expression are linked to psychiatric conditions of prefrontal cortex dysfunction, and microRNA regulation of DCC may be key to determining adolescent vulnerability or resilience. Since early interventions are proving to effectively ameliorate disease outcome, the Netrin-1 system is a promising therapeutic target.

中文翻译：

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在青春期建立多巴胺连接

青春期正在进行的一个戏剧性的成熟过程是前额叶皮层发育，包括其多巴胺神经支配。多巴胺轴突从纹状体生长到前额叶皮层，这是青春期长距离轴突生长的唯一已知案例。这是由 Netrin-1 引导线索受体 DCC（在结肠直肠癌中缺失）协调的，后者反过来控制前额叶皮层本身的内在发育。青春期的兴奋剂药物会改变多巴胺神经元的 DCC，进而影响前额叶皮层的成熟，从而影响认知能力。DCC 表达的变化与前额叶皮层功能障碍的精神疾病有关，并且 DCC 的 microRNA 调节可能是确定青少年脆弱性或恢复力的关键。由于早期干预被证明可以有效改善疾病结果，