Researchers Blame Brain Not Hormones For Teens' Erratic Behavior
UCLA Researchers Use Super-Computer To Film Brain's Development
POSTED: 3:11 pm EDT May 26,
2004
Researchers have evidence that the teen brain -- not just raging hormones -- could be to blame for their erratic behavior.University of California at Los Angeles researchers have created the first ever time-lapse movie of the developing brain."Teenagers
are not really famous for organizing themselves. They sometimes do
things that are pretty rash," Dr. Paul Thompson, an associate professor
at UCLA, explained. "This is partly because the frontal lobes that
actually control those actions are not done developing until their 20s."The
images, made from magnetic resonance imaging scans processed in a UCLA
super-computer, show that the region of the brain responsible for
reasoning and problem solving is among the last to develop."You
can actually see in these movies changes happening in the parts of the
brain that control emotion, inhibition, all of the things that teens
don't do particularly well," Thompson said.The researchers spent
a decade cataloging and scanning the brains of 18 children as they
matured into adults. That is how they documented that puberty brings on
a major growth spurt in the frontal lobe of the brain.They hope
the findings will lead to a better understanding of why teenagers may
feel such angst. They also hope it will serve as a reminder for parents."The more structured things are for teens it will help them get on the right track," Thompson said.Even
when they seem hard headed, parents may need to provide structure,
organization and decision-making skills for teens whose brains are
still developing.Researchers hope the study will lead to a
better understanding of major mental illnesses. Scientists believe that
the development of the teenage brain may explain the timing of
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which often begin in adolescence
and contribute to a high teen suicide rate.
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