We've all gone through the treacherous years as a teenager with the awkward changes and further physical and emotional development, and we are all still going through this process of development as we approach our mid-20's. Surprisingly enough, an interesting cause of irrational decisions in teenagers correlates to much of what is happening in their skulls.
The brain has reached 90% of its size by the time we reach our teens, yet our brain is undergoing one of the most critical points in its development. Between 12 and 25, our brain undergoes massive reconstruction; our network paths are re-wired and upgraded becoming far more permanent and efficient. This resembling of our neural pathways start in our posterior part of our brain and slowly, but surely, move towards the frontal cortex. More basic functions take place in the posterior part of our brain, hence the reason they are solidified first. Our higher executive functions take place in the anterior portion of our brain, and the slow process allows for the best outcomes and ultimately a smarter and higher functioning person.
Normal developmental processes of the brain ultimately aid in more complex and sensible actions as well as control in balancing impulses and desires, assessment of goals and self-interests, and grasp of rules and ethics. Yet, during the process of reconstruction teenagers come off far from these attributes. They seem far more irrational and clumsy, but it can be linked to massive change they are undergoing in their brains.
In the teenage brain, axons become thicker, dendrites become twiggier, synaptic pruning takes place, and gray matter gets thinner. The thickening of the axons make transmission speed between neurons faster, and the branching of the dendrites allow connections to grow stronger between heavily used synapses. Synapses that see little to no use are pruned away making the gray matter, used in thinking and consciousness, thinner but far more efficient. These network improvements allow for faster mental processing and much higher executive functions.
Brain scans that became available in the 90's allowed for research of the teenage brain which really helped to show that the changes in the brain that teenagers undergo are key for the development of our higher mental processes. Brain scans also allowed for research to be done with regards to understanding the importance of peer connections and a social life in the teenager. Besides peer connections, there is a new understanding of the teenage brain and how it responds to risk, which shockingly is much similar to how adults view risks accept they see a greater gain with the reward from the risk.
So, overall the teenage brain develops so that it can fully and intelligently integrate into the world of adults. The slow, back-to-front changes of the brain give teenagers the best chance for future success, but surely the crazy teenage years of extremely development really pay off in the long run.
Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text/1
The brain has reached 90% of its size by the time we reach our teens, yet our brain is undergoing one of the most critical points in its development. Between 12 and 25, our brain undergoes massive reconstruction; our network paths are re-wired and upgraded becoming far more permanent and efficient. This resembling of our neural pathways start in our posterior part of our brain and slowly, but surely, move towards the frontal cortex. More basic functions take place in the posterior part of our brain, hence the reason they are solidified first. Our higher executive functions take place in the anterior portion of our brain, and the slow process allows for the best outcomes and ultimately a smarter and higher functioning person.
Normal developmental processes of the brain ultimately aid in more complex and sensible actions as well as control in balancing impulses and desires, assessment of goals and self-interests, and grasp of rules and ethics. Yet, during the process of reconstruction teenagers come off far from these attributes. They seem far more irrational and clumsy, but it can be linked to massive change they are undergoing in their brains.
In the teenage brain, axons become thicker, dendrites become twiggier, synaptic pruning takes place, and gray matter gets thinner. The thickening of the axons make transmission speed between neurons faster, and the branching of the dendrites allow connections to grow stronger between heavily used synapses. Synapses that see little to no use are pruned away making the gray matter, used in thinking and consciousness, thinner but far more efficient. These network improvements allow for faster mental processing and much higher executive functions.
Brain scans that became available in the 90's allowed for research of the teenage brain which really helped to show that the changes in the brain that teenagers undergo are key for the development of our higher mental processes. Brain scans also allowed for research to be done with regards to understanding the importance of peer connections and a social life in the teenager. Besides peer connections, there is a new understanding of the teenage brain and how it responds to risk, which shockingly is much similar to how adults view risks accept they see a greater gain with the reward from the risk.
So, overall the teenage brain develops so that it can fully and intelligently integrate into the world of adults. The slow, back-to-front changes of the brain give teenagers the best chance for future success, but surely the crazy teenage years of extremely development really pay off in the long run.
Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text/1
The interesting point this article makes is why the maturing of the brain such as cortical thinning, stronger neuron associations, etc. that happens during adolescence is characterized by reckless behavior and "rebellious" teenage years. Wouldn't you expect that as the brain matures behavior would mature as well. Although much of the reason teenagers behave in immature ways is because the brain is not fully developed, there is also evidence that the immature behavior is a result of the natural selection of particular traits. The article explains that much of this behavior is critical in our evolutionary existence. For instance, the love of thrill peaks around age fifteen. This often is associated with recklessness, but it also allows for people to learn new things by trying new things, and meeting new people. New experiences are important to build inferences about the world loading your "System I" with information so as to make better decisions. Teenagers are also more willing to take risks in which they can learn more about the cost and benefits of decisions and better read the hedonic response of the amygdala. While teenagers are associated with immaturity and rebellion, they are actually undergoing the most beneficial period of their lives.
ReplyDeleteElise has a good point, I've never thought about it that way. I wonder if this risk taking also shapes the way the brain's of teenagers develop. It'd be interesting to see if risk taking behavior when individuals were teens affected the way their personalities turned out and how their brain is hardwired compared to those who didn't take risk taking behaviors during their teens.
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