login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Teen Brain Still Developing and Maturing to Mid 20s
Prof.Laurence Steinberg of the US notes brain scans have given biological backing to commonsense notions about teen behavior, like their impulsiveness and vulnerability to peer pressure.
It's one thing to say teens don't control their impulses as well as adults, but another to show that they can't, he said. As for peer pressure, the new brain research "gives credence to the idea that this isn't a choice that kids are making to give in to their friends, that biologically, they're more vulnerable to that," he said.
Consider the lobes at the front of the brain. The nerve circuitry here ties together inputs from other parts of the brain, said Dr. Jay Giedd of the National Institute of Mental Health.
This circuitry weighs how much priority to give incoming messages like "Do this now" versus "Wait! What about the consequences?" In short, the frontal lobes are key for making good decisions and controlling impulses.
Brain scans show that the frontal lobes don't mature until age 25, and their connections to other parts of the brain continue to improve to at least that age, Giedd said.
The inexplicable behavior and poor judgments teens are known for almost always happen when teens are feeling high emotion or intense peer pressure, conditions that overwhelm the still-maturing circuitry in the front part of brain, Giedd said.
As Steinberg sees it, a teenager's brain has a well-developed accelerator but only a partly developed
|
|
|
 Comment & Contribute
|
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Brain Feeling bad, sad, silly or glad? Find out what is responsible by taking part in our brain quiz. 
|
- News Quick Links
 |
Brain
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | Gut Feelings Override Rational Thought in Financial Matters: Study |
| » | Loss of Beloved Treasures Worsens Italy Quake Trauma |
| » | Launch Of Social Network For The Dying |
| » | Violent Video Games Turn Gamers into Deadly Shooters: Study |
| » | Parental Control Over Kids Mobile Use |
| More Life Style News | |
|
