{
  "abstract": "Adolescence is characterized by heightened reward sensitivity and risky decision-making. Prevailing neurodevelopmental frameworks attribute these behavioral trends to a maturational imbalance between rapidly developing motivational brain regions, and slower-maturing prefrontal cognitive control circuitry. However, these models overlook the cerebellum-a structure that demonstrates protracted development across adolescence and reciprocal connectivity with both striatum and prefrontal cortex. Here, we conducted a systematic literature search and activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies examining reward anticipation and feedback processing in healthy adolescents (19 studies; 55 cerebellar peaks). In adults, a recent ALE analysis found a diffuse set of cognitive and affective cerebellar regions is recruited during reward anticipation, while feedback-locked activation is circumscribed and mostly restricted to the Vermis (Kruithof et al., 2023). In adolescents, we found evidence for a reward phase-specific spatial dissociation relative to adults. In adolescents, reward anticipation-locked activity is restricted to regions of the Vermis that are functionally connected to occipital and salience networks. Conversely, feedback processing elicits diffuse activation across bilateral Crus I/II regions that are connected to frontoparietal, default-mode, and limbic networks. These results suggest a proactive engagement of cortico-cerebellar networks during reward anticipation in adults, and a reactive recruitment of cortico-cerebellar networks post-feedback in adolescents. Adolescents may have less mature internal models for optimizing decision-making, and as a result they may require more widespread recruitment of cortico-cerebellar cognitive and affective circuitry post-feedback. Prevailing maturational imbalance models of youth decision-making should be expanded to incorporate developmental changes in cerebellar reward processing.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "The University of New Mexico"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "T. S. Mullins"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "J. Hogeveen"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/en5d9f998xc8e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.05.27.726906",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.27.726906v2.full",
  "id": "en5d9f998xc8e",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.27.726906v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7162847711",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.27.726906v2.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-05-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/en5d9f998xc8e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.05.27.726906",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.27.726906v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Protracted prediction: Neurodevelopment of reward processing in the adolescent cerebellum.",
  "title_text": "Protracted prediction: Neurodevelopment of reward processing in the adolescent cerebellum.",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/en5d9f998xc8e",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}