The Adolescent Brain

Matt, 16, can’t remember anything Bethany,18 “Knows” Everything

Brainy Facts: What do we know about the brain? Adult = 3 pounds 2% of our body weight but consumes 20% of our calories 70% water, it consumes 30% of the water we drink Unfolded it would measure 2 ft x 2 ft. composed of a trillion cells, 100 billion neurons

Brainy Facts: Parts of the Brain

Dr. Jay Giedd, Neuroscientist Neuroscientist at the National Institute of Health, Chief of brain imaging in the child psychiatry branch Used MRI to scan the brains of nearly 1000 healthy children ages Between ages of birth- 2 and 9-10= tremendous growth of neurons Ages 2-3 and 11+= massive pruning Teenagers are more like toddlers than adults in brain growth

During adolescence… use it or lose it Used connections will flourish, unused will be pruned and die. Fewer but faster connections

The CEO of the Brain The frontal lobes: executive decisions and moral/ethical control Development continues from back to front through early 20’s “It’s sort of unfair to expect teens to have adult levels of organizational skills or decision-making before their brains are finished being built.”- Dr. Giedd

Frontal Lobe Problem solving Judgment Inhibition of behavior Planning Self-monitoring Personality Emotions Organization Attention Concentration Mental flexibility Speaking Awareness of abilities Self-control “do the right thing”

The above composite MRI brain images show top views of the sequence of gray matter maturation over the surface of the brain. Researchers found that, overall, gray matter volume increased at earlier ages, followed by sustained loss and thinning starting around puberty, which correlates with advancing cognitive abilities. Scientists think this process reflects greater organization of the brain as it prunes redundant connections, and increases in myelin, which enhance transmission of brain messages.

Misread signals

Don’t believe everything they tell you….. Teens relied on the amygdala, associated with emotion and gut reactions MRI tests: Teens see anger when it was not intended Teens can be irrational and overly emotional

What about Intelligence? Intelligence and emotional maturity do not develop in the same way. Let’s look at a teenage genius…

During adolescence… period of high risk Drugs and alcohol can alter normal development of the brain Teens who drink are exposing their brains to the toxic effects of alcohol at a critical time of brain development, approx. 10% memory loss Hormonal rush of testosterone and estrogen causing chemical changes Image from Susan Tapert, PhD, University of California, San Diego.

What about adolescence and ADD/ADHD? Impulsive ADHD kids will often get into trouble The inattentive ADD kids tend to be non-compliant, have trouble remember the things, will feel “stupid” despite a above average or high intelligence “ In clinical studies, researchers confirmed that teens with ADHD were twice as likely to have abused alcohol within the past 6 months. They also found that teens with ADHD were likely to abuse drugs and three times more likely to abuse drugs other than marijuana.” WebMD.com ADHD teenagers are 400% more likely to have an automobile accident

What about unmedicated ADD/ADHD? Researchers believe that stimulant medications for ADHD increase dopamine, by strengthening the weak dopamine signals in the brain. Findings also show that drugs of abuse, such as nicotine and cocaine, temporarily increase brain dopamine activity. So that may explain why people with ADHD may have a greater risk of drug abuse.

Catching ZZZZZZs They need 9 ¼ hrs… They get…6-7….! The biological clock shifts in the teen years by up to 2 hours Sleep deprivation can have a major negative effect on learning and memory! TV’s, computer monitors, and cell phones can keep adolescents from getting enough deep sleep; remove them from their rooms!

How does it help the TEEN to know this? Understand themselves and their behavior Allow adults around them to guide them What they do in the next 8 years makes a difference for the rest of their lives!