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mitdasein
Apr. 5th, 2006 09:58 pmSean found the article for me. :) He's such a lovely man. Thank you. :)
The headline isn't exactly as it was portrayed in the Oregonian, but the content of the story is the same. And although they do concentrate more on teenage drivers, the basis of the study is so much more important than that. The discovery of the surge of synapse generation during adolescence through early adulthood has far reaching implications, especially when you think about different substances that can inhibit brain growth during that time span, and maturity levels of individuals in and of themselves. This is just the beginning of what I hope to be many more studies into the developing teenage brain.
TRIBUNE SPECIAL REPORT: TEENS AT THE WHEEL
Teens driven to distraction
Research shows why a teen brain capable of reasoning like an adult's is hijacked by emotions and impulses
By Ronald Kotulak
Tribune science reporter
March 24, 2006
By the time puberty is over in the middle to late teens, when adult height and full reproductive capacity have been achieved, the body is at its peak--the strongest, swiftest and healthiest it will ever be.
But the brain lags behind, laboring to adapt to the most complex society that has existed.
This mismatch--between a fully grown body and an immature brain that is trying to cope with emotions, sexual urges, poor judgment, thrill seeking and risk taking--is a key factor making motor vehicle accidents the No. 1 cause of death among adolescents and young adults, followed by murder and suicide.
Using powerful new imaging technology to look inside the brain, scientists are beginning to unravel the biology behind this critical period of development. They are finding that an adolescent's brain undergoes a previously unsuspected biological makeover--a massive growth of synaptic connections between brain cells.
This spectacular surge kicks off an extensive renovation of the brain that is not complete until the mid-20s. Scientists say the resulting learning curve, when teens struggle to shed childish thoughts for adult ones, is why adolescence is such a prolonged and perilous journey for so many.
It helps explain not only why teens are more prone to crash a car than at any other time of life, but why they are more likely to engage in risky sex, drug abuse or delinquency. Although teens often can think as logically as an adult, the process can be easily derailed by flaring emotions or other distractions.
"The reason that kids take chances when they drive is not because they're ignorant," said Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg. "It's because other things undermine their better judgment."
( Read more... )
The headline isn't exactly as it was portrayed in the Oregonian, but the content of the story is the same. And although they do concentrate more on teenage drivers, the basis of the study is so much more important than that. The discovery of the surge of synapse generation during adolescence through early adulthood has far reaching implications, especially when you think about different substances that can inhibit brain growth during that time span, and maturity levels of individuals in and of themselves. This is just the beginning of what I hope to be many more studies into the developing teenage brain.
TRIBUNE SPECIAL REPORT: TEENS AT THE WHEEL
Teens driven to distraction
Research shows why a teen brain capable of reasoning like an adult's is hijacked by emotions and impulses
By Ronald Kotulak
Tribune science reporter
March 24, 2006
By the time puberty is over in the middle to late teens, when adult height and full reproductive capacity have been achieved, the body is at its peak--the strongest, swiftest and healthiest it will ever be.
But the brain lags behind, laboring to adapt to the most complex society that has existed.
This mismatch--between a fully grown body and an immature brain that is trying to cope with emotions, sexual urges, poor judgment, thrill seeking and risk taking--is a key factor making motor vehicle accidents the No. 1 cause of death among adolescents and young adults, followed by murder and suicide.
Using powerful new imaging technology to look inside the brain, scientists are beginning to unravel the biology behind this critical period of development. They are finding that an adolescent's brain undergoes a previously unsuspected biological makeover--a massive growth of synaptic connections between brain cells.
This spectacular surge kicks off an extensive renovation of the brain that is not complete until the mid-20s. Scientists say the resulting learning curve, when teens struggle to shed childish thoughts for adult ones, is why adolescence is such a prolonged and perilous journey for so many.
It helps explain not only why teens are more prone to crash a car than at any other time of life, but why they are more likely to engage in risky sex, drug abuse or delinquency. Although teens often can think as logically as an adult, the process can be easily derailed by flaring emotions or other distractions.
"The reason that kids take chances when they drive is not because they're ignorant," said Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg. "It's because other things undermine their better judgment."
( Read more... )
