Demystifying the Adolescent Brain

Question 1

fMRI’s? What does it stand for?

Answer 1

This technique enables reaserchers to take pictures of individuals brains and compare anatomy (brain structure) and activity (brain function)

Stands for: functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Question 2

Synapse

Answer 2

A miniscule gap between neurons.

Question 3

Neurotransmitter

Answer 3

Transmits electrical charges within the brain by means of chemicals

Question 4

Synaptic pruning

Answer 4

During adolescence, the brain undergoes a
process of synaptic pruning, in which excess synapses are eliminated, making the brain
more efficient, but also more vulnerable to stress and other challenges…synaptic pruning enhances the brains functioning. It makes the brain more efficient by transforming an unwieldy network of small pathways into a better organized system of super highways.

Question 5

Reasons why teenagers have trouble regulating emotions and actions?

Answer 5

Research indicates that adolescents require heightened stimulation to experience the same levels of pleasure as adults, driving them toward riskier activities as they pursue rewards.

Question 6

How do friends influence adolescents’ actions?

Answer 6

When in groups, the desire for social acceptance often drives adolescents to engage in activities they might otherwise avoid. This phenomenon underscores the importance of fostering positive peer relationships and encouraging group activities that promote constructive behaviors.

Question 7

Neurons?

Answer 7

cells that carry information by transmitting electrical charges within the brain by mean of chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Question 8

Myelination

Answer 8

…in the course of development, white fatty tissue called Myelin encases the projections of neurons that interconnect them, a process called myelination. Myelin, which acts like plastic insulation around an electrical wire, increases the speed of neural impulses and so improves information transmission.

Question 9

Hot cognition

Answer 9

“hot cognition” (when we think about something that can make us feel exuberant or excited, angry or depressed…)
Ex; joyride with friends, or acts of violence
(Thinking more emotionally)

Question 10

Cold cognition

Answer 10

“cold” cognition (when we think about something that doesn’t have much emotional content…)
Ex; solving a math problem
(Thinking more logically)

Question 11

Which part of the brain is maturing throughout and after adolescents, and how does it mature (physically)?

Answer 11

The cortex is not complete maturing until mid-20s and it matures to synaptic pruning.

Question 12

At what age do people become really good at decisions that involve hot cognition?

Answer 12

The system of high cognition is still developing in the ’20s

Question 13

Why do adolescence react in a unique way to dopamine and how does this make it harder for them to control their emotions?

Answer 13

Adolescence get more doses of dopamine than adults. It is a natural chemical that makes you feel good, so teens are so caught in chasing the Euphoria that they ignore logic