Adolescent Brain Report Mr Hall 9.4 Introduction It is well known that the teenage years are a time of great change. Physical changes occur at a rapid rate with results visually obvious to all but what many people don’t realise is just how drastic many of the internal changes occurring are, with none more so than those occurring within the body’s great control centre, the brain. These critical changes in the brain go a long way to explaining many of the curious and often contradictory behaviours of adolescents. Main Body Adolescents are close to a lifelong peak of physical health, strength, and mental capacity, and yet, for some, this can be a hazardous age. Mortality rates jump between early and late adolescence. Rates of death by injury between ages 15 to 19 are about six times that of the rate between ages 10 and 14 (NIMH 2011). Crime rates are highest among young males and rates of alcohol abuse are high relative to other ages (NIMH 2011). Genes, childhood experience, and the environment in which a young person reaches adolescence all shape behavior (NIMH 2011). The brain grows and continually changes in young people. It is only about 80 percent developed in adolescents. The largest part, the cortex, is divided into lobes that mature from back to front (Bradley Ruder 2008). The last section to connect is the frontal lobe, responsible for cognitive processes such as reasoning, planning, and judgment (Bradley Ruder 2008). Normally this mental merger is not completed until somewhere between ages 25 and 30, much later than previously thought (Bradley Ruder 2008). Young brains have both fast-­‐growing synapses and sections that remain unconnected. This leaves teens easily influenced by their environment and more prone to impulsive behaviour, even before considering the impact of turbo-­‐
charged hormones and any genetic or family predispositions (Bradley Ruder 2008). This can help explain some of the ‘risky’ and unexpected behaviours often exhibited by young people. Figure 1: Parts of the brain, which mature from back to front (Mr Barlows Blog n.d.). The part of the brain that processes information doesn’t peak in boys until around 2 years after girls (Bradley Ruder 2008) meaning that boys are often slower to reach their academic potential than girls. This can result in boys becoming frustrated as they see their female peers excelling beyond their current abilities and can lead to them becoming disillusioned with their education, as they are unaware that their ‘brain spurt’ is yet to come. The neural networks that help brain cells (neurons) communicate through chemical signals are enlarging in teen brains. Learning takes place at the synapses between neurons, as cells excite or inhibit one another and develop stronger synapses with repeated stimulation (Bradley Ruder 2008). This enables children and teenagers to learn languages or musical instruments more easily than adults (Bradley Ruder 2008). On the flip side, this plasticity also makes adolescent brains more vulnerable to external stressors such as alcohol and other drugs (Bradley Ruder 2008). It is proven that sleep is important for learning and memory but teenagers are notoriously sleep-­‐deprived and are, in this digital age, experiencing sensory overload like no generation before them (Bradley Ruder 2008). This ‘dual-­‐dilemna’ can provide further reason for many teens’ inability to focus on tasks. Figure 2: Adolescent actions s ummarised (AACAP 2011). Conclusion The developing stage of the human body during the adolescent years sees huge changes, especially within the brain itself. These changes in the brain are not always ‘smooth’ and provide reasoning for many off the complexing behavioural issues seen in adolescent years. It is important for adolescents and those around them to be aware of these changes and the influences of these on adolescent functioning to achieve a successful transition through this often perplexing stage of life. Figure 3: Dorsal lateral prefrontal c ortex ( or executive functions) development. Bibliography American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), 2011, ‘Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making’, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, No. 95; December 2011, Accessed 12th April 2016 at: https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-­‐Guide/The-­‐Teen-­‐Brain-­‐
Behavior-­‐Problem-­‐Solving-­‐and-­‐Decision-­‐Making-­‐095.aspx Bradley Ruder D. 2008, ‘The Teen Brain’, Harvard Magazine, Accessed 12th April 2016 at: http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/the-­‐teen-­‐brain.html Mr Barlow’s Blog, no date, ‘A teenage brain is not fully developed’, Accessed 12th April 2016 at: https://mrbarlow.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/a-­‐teenage-­‐brain-­‐is-­‐not-­‐fully-­‐developed/ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 2011, ‘The Teen Brain: Still Under Construction’, National Institute of Mental Health, Accessed 12th April 2016 at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-­‐teen-­‐brain-­‐still-­‐under-­‐construction/index.shtml