This region develops early. However, the frontal cortex , the area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act, develops later. This part of the brain is still changing and maturing well into adulthood.
Other changes in the brain during adolescence include a rapid increase in the connections between the brain cells and making the brain pathways more effective. Nerve cells develop myelin, an insulating layer that helps cells communicate. All these changes are essential for the development of coordinated thought, action, and behavior.
Crews, Ph. Linda J. Porrino, Ph. David P. Friedman, Ph. Leslie Morrow, Ph. Kathleen K. Hence, consuming seafood may accelerate brain maturation in adolescents. However, malnutrition and substance abuse may inhibit maturation of the adolescent brain.
Neuromorphological, neurochemical, neurophysiological, neurobehavioral, and neuropharmacological evidence suggests that the brain remains in its active state of maturation during adolescence. Computed tomography and MRI studies also provide evidence in support of this hypothesis. Brain maturation occurs during adolescence due to a surge in the synthesis of sex hormones implicated in puberty including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
These sex hormones augment myelinogenesis and the development of the neurocircuitry involved in efficient neurocybernetics. Although tubulinogenesis, axonogenesis, and synaptogenesis can occur during the prenatal and early postnatal periods, myelinogenesis involved in the insulation of axons remains under construction in adolescence.
Sex hormones also significantly influence food intake and sleep requirements during puberty. In addition to dramatic changes in secondary sex characteristics, sex hormones may also influence the learning, intelligence, memory, and behavior of adolescents. Furthermore, it can be observed that the development of excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission occurs earlier in the developing brain as compared to GABAergic neurotransmission, which makes the pediatric population susceptible to seizures.
The development and maturation of the prefrontal cortex occurs primarily during adolescence and is fully accomplished at the age of 25 years. The development of the prefrontal cortex is very important for complex behavioral performance, as this region of the brain helps accomplish executive brain functions.
A detailed study is required in order to determine the exact biomarkers involved, as well as the intricate influence of diet, drugs, sex, and sleep on the maturation of the adolescent brain as discussed briefly in this report.
The moral support and encouragement of President Kallol Guha is gratefully acknowledged. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat v. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. Published online Apr 3. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer.
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Adolescence is the developmental epoch during which children become adults — intellectually, physically, hormonally, and socially.
Keywords: myelinogenesis, neurocircuitry, molecular imaging, drug addiction, behavior, social adjustment. Video abstract Click here to view. Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Factors influencing adolescent brain maturation. Figure 2. A diagram illustrating various stages of human brain development.
The adolescent brain It is well established that various morphological and physiological changes occur in the human brain during adolescence. Behavioral problems and puberty It is now known that hormones are not the only explanation for erratic adolescent behavior; hence, investigators are now trying to establish the exact nature of the interrelationship between pubertal processes and adolescent brain maturation. Figure 3. Prefrontal cortex Recently, investigators have studied various aspects of the maturation process of the prefrontal cortex of adolescents.
Figure 4. Risk-taking behavior The exact biological basis of risk-taking behavior in adolescents remains enigmatic. Figure 5. Leading cause of death among adolescents 10—24 years. Risk perception It has been established that, around the age of 12 years, adolescents decrease their reliance on concrete thinking and begin to show the capacity for abstract thinking, visualization of potential outcomes, and a logical understanding of cause and effect.
Self-regulation Self-regulation has been broadly classified as the management of emotions and motivation. Societal influences Mass media, community, and adult role models can also influence adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Substance abuse The mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of prenatal substance abuse and its consequent elevated impulsivity during adolescence are poorly understood.
Cannabis Cannabis is the most commonly consumed drug among adolescents, and its chronic use may affect maturational refinement by disrupting the regulatory role of the endocannabinoid system. Nicotine Recent studies have provided a neural framework to explain the developmental differences that occur within the mesolimbic pathway based on the established role of DA in addiction. Alcohol Recently, the development of brain functions, the cognitive capabilities of adolescents, and the effect of alcohol abuse on brain maturation have been examined.
Sex differences Sex differences in many behaviors, including drug abuse, have been attributed to social and cultural factors. Nutrition The rapid expansion of knowledge in this field, from basic science to clinical and community-based research, is expected to lead to urgently needed research in support of effective, evidence-based medicine and treatment strategies for undernutrition, overnutrition, and eating disorders in early childhood.
Figure 6. Effect of seafood on the maturation of the adolescent brain. Conclusion Neuromorphological, neurochemical, neurophysiological, neurobehavioral, and neuropharmacological evidence suggests that the brain remains in its active state of maturation during adolescence. Acknowledgments The moral support and encouragement of President Kallol Guha is gratefully acknowledged. Footnotes Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this report.
References 1. Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Nat Neurosci. Li K, Xu E. The role and the mechanism of gamma-aminobutyric acid during central nervous system development. Neurosci Bull. Developmental changes in dopamine neurotransmission in adolescence: behavioral implications and issues in assessment. Brain Cogn.
Kaplan PS. Sylwester R. The Adolescent Brain: Reaching for Autonomy. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of facial affect recognition in children and adolescents. Dahl RE. Beyond raging hormones: the tinderbox in the teenage brain. Blakemore SJ. Development of the social brain in adolescence. J R Soc Med. The neural basis of puberty and adolescence. Sex steroids and connectivity in the human brain: a review of neuroimaging studies.
Social cognitive development during adolescence. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. Doctoral Research Thesis. Amsterdam: The neurocognitive development of social decision making; pp. McClure-Tone E. Behavioral and neural representation of emotional facial expressions across the lifespan. Dev Neuropsychol. Theories of adolescent risk taking The biopsychological model. In: Diclemente R.
J, Santelli J. S, Crosby RA, editors. Adolescent Health. San Fransisco: John Wiley and Sons; pp. Probing the neural correlates of anticipated peer evaluation in adolescence. Child Dev. Extreme behavior and emotions are clearly matters that call for medical and professional attention and counseling. Teenagers are human, after all — and so are their brains.
What can teenagers do to help their brains make the transition to adulthood? Garner also reminds parents to be alert to the warning signs of emotional problems — whether or not those problems are directly related to brain development.
If, on the other hand, they are withdrawn or acting out, not eating or sleeping regularly, or are letting their grades or dreams pass them by, then I encourage the parents to sound the alarm and get some help. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Turn on more accessible mode. Turn off more accessible mode.
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