lifespan psychology: role of the brain in adolescent development

Question 1

role of brain plasticity in adolescence

Answer 1

volume of grey matter is at its max of ages 11 in females and 12 in males.

Synaptic pruning continues throughout adolescence and into early adulthood, increasing brain efficiency and specialisation of brain areas in response to sensory experiences

The neural connections that remain after synaptic pruning undergo myelination but does not occur in the prefrontal cortex until age 20 during adolescence

Question 2

4 key regions undergo changes in adolescence

Answer 2

cerebellum
corpus callosum
amygdala frontal lobe

Question 3

what is the amygdala

Answer 3

• A part of the limbic system
  
  • A collection of nuclei deep within each temporal lobe that play a role in emotional response (including of fear) and the immediate behavioural reactions to a response.
  • It grows in volume during adolescence and becomes more active

Question 4

cerebellum during adolescence

Answer 4

During adolescence, there is an increase in the number of neurons and synapses in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that plays a role in balance, coordination and fine motor control.

* Activity in the cerebellum has been linked to decision making, reward learning, motivation, emotional control and processing mood

Question 5

corpus callosum during adolescence

Answer 5

• During adolescence, there is an increase white matter and the number of connections in the corpus callosum. The myelination of these nerve fibres improves the flow of information between brain regions in each of the hemispheres

neural connections strengthen within the corpus callosum, leading to a stronger connection between the who hemispheres and emotional regulation continues to improve

Question 6

amygdala during adolescence

Answer 6

• In adults, the prefrontal cortex regulates the amygdala, but during adolescence this is not the case, as the prefrontal cortex is still developing as other connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex.
  • Instead of the prefrontal cortex leading actions based on rational and logical thinking, the volatile amygdala guides many of the automatic actions. The amygdala is highly reactive to emotional stimuli such as facial expressions of other people and situations perceived distressful.

Question 7

frontal lobe during adolescence

Answer 7

• The frontal lobe evaluates emotions and uses rational thinking and referring to past experiences before responding in a conscious manner.
  • The frontal lobes are not completely myelinated until the around the age of 30, therefore, teenagers have white have less white matter (Myelinated axons) in this region compared to adults.
  • The connection between frontal lobes and amygdala is still strengthening during adolescence

Question 8

what happens to teenagers during frontal lobe changes

Answer 8

The connection between frontal lobes and amygdala is still strengthening during adolescence, therefore, teenagers may exhibit limited impulse control, poor decision making and planning and reduced emotional regulation

Question 9

what happens to teenagers during the amygdala changes

Answer 9

The amygdala is highly reactive to emotional stimuli such as facial expressions of other people and situations perceived distressful.
* This leads to teenagers being more likely to misinterpret emotions of others in social cues and consequently get into accidents or behaving appropriately without thinking before they act.

Question 10

what happens to teenagers during cerebellum changes

Answer 10

• Activity in the cerebellum has been linked to decision making, reward learning, motivation, emotional control and processing mood
  
  • It is therefore understandable that teenagers, who are yet to have a fully grown cerebellum, typically display impulsive decision making and have difficulty regulating their emotions

Question 11

prefrontal cortex during adolescence

Answer 11

• The prefrontal cortex is the layer of the frontal lobes just beneath the forehead that continues to undergo myelination during adolescence, leading to an increase in white matter.

synaptic pruning continues in the prefrontal cortex during this period of development, reducing the amount of grey matter and allowing for increasingly complex and efficient connections to be created in the brain.

Synaptic pruning begins at the back of the brain and continues forward with the prefrontal cortex being the last part of the brain to develop.

Question 12

what happens to teenagers during pre frontal cortex changes

Answer 12

• This region is responsible for problem solving, attention and the ability to predict the consequences of behaviour by referring to past experiences and assessing whether these behaviours will lead to reaching a desired goal.
  
  • This makes it easier to understand why some teenagers do not seem to assess potential risks and end up engaging in risky and dangerous behaviour.
  • The ability to regulate emotion continues to improve during adolescence, as does to the ability to recognise emotions in other people