The Adolescent Brain Frontline Inside the Teenage Brain

The Adolescent Brain

Frontline: Inside the Teenage Brain • http: //www. pbs. org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sho ws/teenbrain/

The Brain • Weighs about 3 pounds • Brain controls ALL activity • “The most complicated mass of matter in the known universe. ” • Constantly changing and adapting • Contains over 10 billion neurons and another 100 billion support cells. ▫ Eventually forms over 100 • Neurons are capable of rerouting circuits trillion connections.

Terminology • Neurons: ▫ Specialized cells that transmit information to other nerve cells or muscles. • Axon: ▫ An electricity conducting fiber that carries information away from the cell body. Source: Sullivan, 2006 • Dendrite: ▫ Receives messages from other neurons • Synapse: ▫ Contact point where one neuron “communicates” with another neuron.

Source: University of Utah, 2006

Brain Development • 2 stages: ▫ Growth spurts or overproduction of neurons ▫ Pruning • Growth spurts are seen at younger ages • Pruning happens during adolescence ▫ “Use it or lose it”

BRAIN STRUCTURES • • Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe Temporal Lobe Occipital Lobe Source: University of Utah, 2006 • Cerebellum • Corpus Callosum • Brain Stem

Source: University of Utah, 2006

Frontal Lobe • Responsible for: ▫ Personality, judgment, reasoning, problem solving, rational decision making, ▫ Logic and understanding of consequences ▫ Governs impulsivity, aggression, ▫ Organizing thoughts, planning for the future ▫ Undergoes significant changes during adolescence Not fully developed until mid-20’s.

Prefrontal Cortex • Part of the frontal lobe: ▫ Helps with impulse control, judgments, reasoning ▫ One of the last areas of the brain to develop fully. ▫ During this time, there is an increased need for: Structure, mentoring, and guidance from adults

Temporal Lobes • Control hearing, understanding speech, sorting new information and short-term memory • Contains: ▫ Amygdala and hippocampus • Matures around 18 -19 years of age.

The Teenage Brain • Underdevelopment of frontal cortex leads to: ▫ More “gut” reactions than reasoning More likely to use amygadala (emotions) than prefrontal cortex (reasoning) for information processing. ▫ It takes experience to train the brain.