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Human adolescence is mainly characterised by an elevated number of psychological, biological and behavioural changes. This rapid as well as challenging change in the "inner state" during adolescence in humans seems to share a number of similarities with the age-dependent alteration of the normal and "linear" development in other mammalian species. Hence, in order to further investigate the biological bases of these idiosyncratic age-related responses, it seems worth to develop and to study suitable animal models for this developmental phase. Aim of the present review is to show experimental results indicating an elevated similarity between humans and rodents (mice and rats) in a number of psychological (elevated levels of novelty seeking as well as of harmavoidance due to a reduced anxiety) behavioural (elevated exploration of novel as well as potentially dangerous environments and peculiar vulnerability to incentive properties of drugs of abuse) and neurobiological (developing state of the underlying cortical pathways implicated in the above mentioned responses) processes. These findings could prove really useful in view of a general deeper comprehension of this age period and helpful in developing earlier and more effective prevention strategies aimed at reducing the social impact of dangerous and reckless behaviours frequently shown by human adolescents (drug addiction, undesired pregnancy. AIDS and car accident).

This review presents the experimental approaches more widely used in animal models to investigate possible strategies aimed to stimulate plasticity in the nervous system and possibly to increase spontaneous recovery from functional/neurological diseases such as neonatal anoxia. Methods used in laboratory rodents are briefly described. Attention is focused on possible enrichments of the social and physical environment during the development.