Adolescence is a time of increased vulnerability to developing substance use disorders. In part, this may be due to the wide array of neural changes occurring during this time, many of which can be altered by environmental stimuli including drugs. In this review, we will examine the evidence for neuroanatomical changes during adolescence in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), an important neural region involved in decision making and reward processing. Studies of humans and rodent models will be included with an emphasis on work from our lab using rats. Sex differences in neural changes will also be explored especially with regard to puberty and its timing. We will discuss these changes in the context of adolescent vulnerability, arguing that the brain is most influenced by experience (or lack thereof) when developmental processes are occurring.

青春期是发展为物质使用障碍的易感性增加的时期。在某种程度上，这可能是由于这段时间发生了各种各样的神经变化，其中许多可以被包括药物在内的环境刺激所改变。在这篇综述中，我们将检查青春期前额叶皮层（PFC）中神经解剖学变化的证据，前额叶皮层是参与决策和奖励处理的重要神经区域。将包括对人类和啮齿动物模型的研究，重点是我们实验室使用大鼠的工作。还将探讨神经变化中的性别差异，尤其是关于青春期及其时机。我们将在青春期脆弱性的背景下讨论这些变化，认为在发生发育过程时，大脑受经验（或缺乏经验）的影响最大。