The Teen Brain
BY NYREE LILY DELFIN
The teen brain is constantly developing and adapting to its environment. In this developmental stage, the teen brain puts teens at an advantage and some disadvantage.s That means teens can make bad decisions they will regret, but it also means they will be open to new adventures.
One thing that happens to the brain during the teenage years is that different parts of the brain develop at different times. The limbic system is the first to develop. The limbic system is the part of your brain that controls your emotions and your social thoughts. The reason that the limbic system developing first is negative is that the prefrontal cortex develops later. Your prefrontal cortex is the part of your brain that thinks ahead. It considers the risk, and it thinks ahead. Since the limbic system matures before the prefrontal cortex, it overpowers it when you are making decisions. The neurons in your brain are very important. They send messages throughout your brain. Since the limbic system is more mature than the prefrontal cortex, the neurons are more likely to send information there. This is why teens are more likely to make decisions off of their emotions rather than thinking about the effect that their decisions will have.
One other thing that affects the teen brain from accessing the prefrontal cortex is myelin. Myelin is a white matter that covers the nerves. It is like insulation that helps the brain run smoother. Teens don’t have as much of this myelin as adults. When your brain doesn’t have a lot of myelin, it won’t be able to access different regions of your brain very fast. If you want to make better decisions using your prefrontal cortex, pausing and thinking can help. This method of thinking gives your brain more time to access the prefrontal cortex.
Another thing that affects the way that teens base their actions on is synaptic pruning. Synapses are the gaps between nerve cells. When you practice a certain skill over and over, the synapses that help that skill will increase. The synapses that are for other skills that you don’t use as much will get pruned. As more and more synapses get pruned, your thinking becomes clearer. So, if you keep on practicing things that you want to use in the future, now is a great time since your brain is developing.
The teen brain is also very open to new experiences and adventures. This can be positive as well as negative. Since teens are more open to new things, they are more likely to meet new people and do fun things. When they do risky things such as jumping off of cliffs into the water, they won’t have as much fear as adults. This can be good since it gives teens some sort of bravery, but it can be dangerous since things like swimming with sharks put you in a lot of danger. New experiences may also include things like drugs which is very dangerous. Overall, the teen brain being very open brings both positive and negative affects.
During the teenage years, the brain is still developing. It makes it easy to make decisions based on emotions and impulses rather than thinking about the risk. So, if you want to make better decisions, it may be smart to pause and think before making choices. Also, the teen brain is very open to new things. Make sure to use this as an advantage. Try to meet new people, and have fun, but somewhat safe, adventures. Having a teen brain can benefit you a lot if you know how to use it wisely.
Works Cited
What You Should Know About Your Brain (Judy Willis)
“What’s Going on in Your Brain?” (Linda Berenstein)
The Teen Brain: It’s Just Not Grown Up Yet (Richard Knox)
Fun Fact
Yoda and Mrs.Piggy were both voiced by Frank Oz.
very nice work