Inside the Adolescent Brain: Dopamine, Decision-Making, and Mental Health with Dr. Bita Moghaddam

What happens inside the brain as we make decisions, respond to rewards, and navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood?In this episode of Her Path to Success, I speak with Dr. Bita Moghaddam, a renowned neuroscientist whose research explores the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and psychiatric disorders. Her work has helped advance our understanding of dopamine, the prefrontal cortex, and how brain circuits involved in motivation and decision-making develop during adolescence.We discuss what makes the adolescent brain unique, how dopamine does far more than simply make us “feel good,” and what studying brain circuitry can teach us about conditions such as schizophrenia. Dr. Moghaddam also shares her path into neuroscience, the questions that have shaped her career, and her perspective on pursuing scientific discoveries when the answers are far from obvious.Whether you're interested in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, or simply curious about why our brains behave the way they do, this conversation offers a fascinating look inside the science of thought and behavior.