Neurobiology of The Teen Brain

Previously I quoted Bill Crosby about adolescents being “brain damaged people”. Recently I read the latest book from the Dana Foundation: Cerebrum. In it is a worthwhile article about the teen brain. The chapters in this book vary in quality but may be later more on that. First the excellent chapter on the teen brain written by Jay N. Giedd.

Adolescence is the period in life with many changes such as in body an behavior often resulting in conflicts with parents, mood swings and risky behavior. Adolescence is also the period in life in which the young adult is at his or her healthiest but also the period in which young adults are more risk taking.

What happens in the brain during adolescence?
Three important changes take place:

• Brain cells, neurotransmitters and receptors for chemical messengers decline during adolescence. It’s not a loss it’s more of a specialization. This is a process providing complexity in brain development and between neural systems. This plasticity is the essence of adolescent neurobiology. Connections form and reform resulting in specific behaviors for better or worse. It’s flexibility allowing the brain to refine itself. The gray matter of the brain diminishes due to this specialization.
• Increased connectivity. Areas of the brain that need to function together for certain tasks link to each other, parts of the brain that activate together during a task get interconnected. Neurons integrate information, “Neuroins that fire together wire together”. The white matter of the brain increases during adolescence.
• Changing Frontal/Limbic balance.The limbic system is all about emotions and develops early. The frontal cortex is for regulating emotions. The interaction between both which helps regulate emotions is dynamic. This interaction is important to understand decision making during adolescence. Adolescents have to learn the integration between emotion and decisions both important for adulthood.

  These three important adaptations of the brain during adolescence prepares for adulthood, it encourages the young adult to separate from the comfort and safety of their families and find new friends new environments.

  The chapter also has some more information about the difference between normal and pathological changes. For that matter the developing brain is also more at risk: “moving parts get broken”. Fortunately the adolescent brain can have a lot of damage before harm is done.

  This incredible changeability, or plasticity, of the human brain is perhaps the most distinctive feature of our species. It makes adolescence a time of great risk and great opportunity.