“If you ask a teenager whether it is a good idea to get into a car with friends who are drunk, most would say ‘no way.’ That’s the PFC talking. That difference can have tragic consequences, Dr. But, because it isn’t completely mature, it simply isn’t working as fast as it will when it matures,” he says. “It is important to note that the PFC is still functioning in adolescence. “While adolescents might tend to be more moody and impulsive - and we now have some reason to believe that this might be reflecting a ‘normal’ part of brain development - our job as parents is to get them to slow down and help them think through what they are doing,” he says.īut not everything can be blamed (or should be blamed) on brain development. What sorts of behavior and emotional responses could indicate that a mismatch is affecting the child’s nature? Garner says that research into the nature and effects of possible mismatches is still taking place, reminding parents of their responsibility to address behavior problems as well as “diagnose” them. The realization that the AMG matures, or comes ‘online,’ sooner than the PFC suggests that a mismatch may be contributing to the emotionality and impulsivity of adolescence.” Beyond Brain Growth Neuroscientists have long thought that the mature PFC regulates the AMG, putting a break on emotional, aggressive, or instinctual outbursts. “The AMG, on the other hand, is thought to play a role in emotion, aggression, and instinctual, almost reflexive responses,” Dr. Garner, “the PFC is thought to play an important role in regulating mood, attention, impulse control, and the ability to think abstractly - which includes both the ability to plan ahead and see the consequences of one’s behavior.” Understanding what those mismatches can mean is one of the challenges facing scientists studying adolescent brain development. Many neuroscientists think that this mismatch in brain maturity may explain a lot of adolescent behavior.” “In fact, some parts of the brain - such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that sits right behind the eyes - do not appear fully mature until 24 years old! Other parts of the brain, like the walnut-shaped amygdala (AMG) that sits deep in the brain, appear to be fully mature much earlier. “Scans of normal kids have revealed that different parts of the brain mature at different rates,” he says. Not only that, brain scans shows that parts of the brain don’t grow the same. “The important concept here is that the adolescent brain is still developing and not yet fully mature,” says Andrew Garner, M.D., FAAP, member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. Like their bodies, different children’s brains develop at different speeds. That is why it’s even more important for parents to understand what their children’s brains are going through as parents monitor - and often worry about - their children’s social, academic, and emotional challenges. It’s not just that teenagers haven’t had the time and experience to acquire a wide sense of the world quite simply, their brains just haven’t physically matured yet.ĭealing with pressure and stress is no small challenge for a fully mature brain, much less one that’s in transition from childhood to adulthood and in transition from concrete to abstract thinking. Teenagers confront challenges, pressures, stresses, temptations, and asks in brains that are not yet fully developed. The brain, after all, is part of the body and, more importantly, is the organ that controls - or tries to control - the body’s activities. Less obvious are the vital changes taking place in a child’s brain, particularly as she enters her teenage years. A child’s body goes through physical changes that are obvious to all parents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |