Pruning In The Teenage Brain

The article “Dude, Where’s My Frontal Cortex?” by Robert Sapolsky talks about the delayed maturation of the frontal cortex in teenagers and how the underdeveloped frontal cortex is the cause of erratic behavior of teenagers. Sapolsky explains to the reader how the frontal cortex does not fully develop until the age of twenty for a person and how that part of the brain is important for extensive reasoning, impulse control, and emotional regulation. He shows the reader how particularly emotional situations affect both a teenager and an adult differently due to either having or not having a matured frontal cortex. This example that he uses allows for the reader to see how a teenager responds to situations with extreme thoughts and behavior which

The brain has the function of making their body work and help with the teens brain daily life. The gray matter is where nerves are located. They are affect the way the person acts. The gray matter is where the nerves are located . One nerve is made up of neurons-a nerve cell-The neuron is made up of dendrites, axons and nucleus . The dendrites receive signals from axon terminals and this is a synapses. As a teen grows the brain starts pruning its synapses. With this the brain is taking out instructions the brain can already do or already knows. This is making room for new ideas. The brain secretes many hormones and neurotransmitters. A well known and used neurotransmitter is dopamine. Dopamine gives the brain a faster production time to make decision.

When asked if teenagers can understand the true meaning of love, I would have to weigh in that I do not believe teenagers can perceive the concept of love.

David Dobbs in the Article “Beautiful Brains” proves the theme that it takes teenage brains longer to mature due to the recent change in impulsivity and adolescent behaviors.

For a long time, teenagers have been known for being foolish and not thinking through their actions. People once thought it was simply because of their personalities, but new research has proved that it’s actually because their brains aren’t fully developed. There are advantages and disadvantages to the teenage brain. A few disadvantages to the teenage brain is that the prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet and they are wired to be independent. Some advantages to the teenage brain is: the brain is easy to reshape or mold into learning new things and they are more open to new, different things. Romeo and Juliet are partially responsible for their actions. Without the help of Friar Lawrence and the Nurse, they wouldn’t have been able to

The author of the article states that there is no better time than now to review how we are raising teenagers for many reasons. First and foremost there have been many strides taken recently to understand how the adolescent brain develops, strengthening ones understanding, and in turn, shedding light on errors made in the way adolescents are being raised in relation to their neuro-development. This means that because scientists have learned substantial information about the brain recently, it is important to reevaluate how parents are raising teenagers now more than ever. Second, according to the article it is a good time to review how we are raising teenagers because children are becoming adolescents earlier based on their physical maturation increasing faster each year, therefore it is important to examine why this is occurring. Finally, the author states that there is no better time to review how we are raising teenagers because of the recent discovery that the brain is malleable during adolescence due to neuroplasticity, meaning that the brain is able to be transformed during this time period solely based on the environment in which these individuals are exposed to, as per the article (Steinberg, 2014).

The article “Inside the Teen Brain’ by Marty Wolner, states that the human brain provides parents with shocking new evidence to possibly explain the sometimes irrational, illogical, and impulsive behavior of teenagers. Teenage years are radically more active and dynamic than they previously thought. So teenagers are left with most of the information reaching their brains being processed in the emotional part (limbic system). Information processed in the limbic system without benefit increases the processing in the prefrontal cortex. It may result in impulsive, egocentric, and maybe even risky behavior choices. The prefrontal cortex of the teenage brain does not excuse inappropriate or irresponsible behavior from the teen. The brain is not yet

The three most important structural changes in the brain that occur during adolescence takes place in the Corpus Callosum, Prefrontal Cortex, and the Limbic System. The Corpus Callosum is a bundle of axon fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres together. In adolescence, this part of the brain thickens to improve information processing. The Prefrontal Cortex is involved in judgement, decision making, reasoning, and self-control. In adolescents, this part of the brain is beginning to develop and be used more

When one compares the structure of the adult brain and the teenage brain, there will be several differences between the two. Adults have stronger connections from one nerve cell to another, and they all have essential communication skills. However, teenagers have more synapses and have weaker nerve connections. Also, their frontal lobes aren 't fully developed. This causes adolescence to have impulsive behavior and they typically do not recognize consequences in a situation. In the early twenties the brain becomes fully developed, so people are very good at making decision and they are able to think abstractly. There are many factors that contribute to the construction of the brain; some things help the brain develop normally, other things interrupt the process. There is a substantial amount of distinctions between the adult brain and the adolescent brain, and these includes behavioral and structural differences.

Are you under 25? If you are, how well do you think your brain is developed? In the video “The Teen Brain: Under Construction” claims that the brain is finished developing around the age of 25. This assertion starts many arguments on whether an 18 year olds should be considered an adult. Many say that 18 year olds should be considered adults, but many disagree. I deem that 18 year olds should not be considered adults, because their brains are not fully developed yet.

The article “Inside the Teenage Brain” by Marty Wolner states that recently, brain researchers have been able to do a great quantity of detailed studies on the human brain. Despite previous thoughts about the teenage brain, development of the brain through the teenage years is very dynamic. The teenage brain is still learning how to process certain information properly in the thinking part of the brain, so often teens may not process all the information necessary to make responsible decisions. Nevertheless, the teenage years can be very stressful for both parents and for teens. Getting through the teenage years can be difficult, but with the right amount of healthy communication, discipline and support the road ahead won’t be so rough. At this

The prefrontal cortex, which is the anterior part of the frontal lobes, controls understanding consequences, impulse control, abstract thinking, long range planning, and mental flexibility (Ortiz 93-94). Researchers at UCLA, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institute of Health have been working together to understand brain development. Their research has shown that at a young age the brain overproduces gray matter, which is the overall thinking part of the brain. After this comes the pruning process in which gray matter is removed. Paul Thompson from UCLA describes this time as a "massive loss of brain tissue" (as quoted in Ortiz 94). The average amount of tissue lost per year is one to two percent (Ortiz 94). While this pruning process is taking place the myelination is occurring simultaneously. Myelination is when white matter, what insulates the brain, makes brain process more efficient. This process is also thought to shape brains neural connections for adulthood (Ortiz 95). With age, the brain becomes denser and more organized which makes it better at processing and understanding information. Changes in the brain also can happen late into the twenty's (Beckman 3). A member of the UCLA research team reported that "[The] frontal lobe undergoes the most change during adolescence-by far. It is also the last part of the brain development" (as quoted in Ortiz 94). For most, full brain development is reached during the ages

Based upon scientific findings, the adolescent brain is constantly growing and changing. The character Romeo, in Shakespeare’s famous play, displays how his adolescent brain is growing and changing. For instance, in the play, it states,”She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, to merit bliss by making me more despair.” (1.1. 218-219) This quote reveals that Romeo is deeply in love with Rosaline but as his youthful brain changes he quickly falls in love with Juliet with little knowledge of her. Not to mention, in the article, Are teenage brains really different from adult brains, it conveys, “Teenagers experience a wealth of growth in synapses during adolescence” (Edmonds). This small excerpt informs us that the synapses that help us make reasonable decisions are at an increase. In the same source, another significant

As a teen, the human brain is not yet fully developed. One’s cognitive ability falls short to the ability of an adult brain, which has had more time and is fully developed. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”, research given during a televised conference at the White House shows that teens impulsive and erratic behavior can be linked to the massive loss of brain tissue that occurs during the teen years. With teen brains not being fully developed, and the research explaining and linking their behavior to their brains, I believe

People groan as they find out I teach high school, voicing their lack of understanding the teenagers in their own lives. Admittedly, I love the mind of teenagers and quickly tell people of my joy to teach this age group. After reading The Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch, I now have language and terms for what I see happen in my classroom. I find myself reflecting on my own years of adolescence as I learn how to navigate this period in their lives on the seemingly forgotten self-spectrum. As I read about the changes of the teen brain, from developing prefrontal lobes to the growth of dendrites and the pruning process to the lack of impulse control, I am often more impressed with the exuberance of the teenage brain.