Adolescent Brain Development and Risky Behavior
July 1st 2007 01:43
Not long ago, neuroscientists thought that the human brain finished developing at five or six years of age: By age 6, a child’s brain has already achieved 95 percent of its adult structure. And research, much of it based on brain scans of infants, shows that neural connections form at a dizzying speed during the period from birth to age 3. But brand-new research has uncovered a second period of rapid brain development, stretching from preadolescence through the early 20s (peaking around 11 for girls and 12 ½ for boys).
New connections are being made throughout the adolescent brain, even in the gray matter where we do most of our rational thinking. What’s more, the brain is feverishly reshaping itself, “pruning neural connections at the rate of 30,000 per second. The biggest changes are occurring in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, located right behind the forehead, which governs “executive” thinking: our ability to use logic, make sound decisions, and size up potential risks. Knowing that this decision-making area is still under construction explains plenty about teens. Researchers have found that even in those who generally show good judgment, the quality of decision-making fizzles in moments of high arousal. Emotion, whether happiness, anger, or jealousy – particularly when teens are with their peers – overrides logic, making even the smart ones momentarily dumb.
This phenomenon may help to explain why one teen starts smoking even though she knows it will hurt her track times, and another shoplifts a pack of gum when he has $5 in his pocket. It works like this, says Elizabeth Cauffman, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh: Your 16-year-old knows, when he pulls out of the driveway on a Friday night, that drinking and driving is (a) dangerous and 9b) will get him grounded for life. Yet in a peer group, a heightened emotion- such as anger at being called chicken – trumps knowledge. Very likely, he’ll guzzle that pint of peach schnapps anyway. Ask him later what he was thinking, and he will honestly answer: “I wasn’t.”
The fact that their “thinking brains” are works-in-progress also affects teens’ abilities to assess and respond appropriately to the emotions of others- and their own. A study at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, for example, found that teens read facial expressions differently, and less accurately, than adults do. When researchers showed a small group of adolescents (ages 12 to 17) several photographs of faces with fearful expressions, many of the kids – particularly the younger ones – misread some of the looks as surprise, anger, or confusion. (In similar studies, adults correctly identified the faces as “fearful” every time.) While the teens were reviewing the photos, MRI scans of their brains showed increased activity in the amygdale (the part of the brain that governs immediate, or gut, reactions and plays a leading role in impulsive action). Adults on the other hand, have been shown to use the frontal cortex to assess similar photos, which enables them to better distinguish subtleties in expression.
This Preserves the Species?
While living amid all this brain turbulence isn’t much fun for anybody (especially your teens), scientists think typical adolescent characteristics like defiance and risk taking may serve a valuable evolutionary purpose. Animal species in which adolescents left the pack and mated with a more diverse gene pool may have become much stronger, Spear says. Those with meek juveniles most likely had a higher risk of inbreeding, which can lead to extinction. “It’s possible this teenage defiance in many species has just become instinctive, and while it’s no longer useful to us – and in fact is dangerous – it may take evolution eons to catch up,” she says.
Whatever, the timing is terrible. Your teenager’s brain is remodeling just as modern society gives him wider access to deadly weapons: cars, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, guns. Children between the ages of 15 and 19 are three times more likely to die from all causes – with accidents, murder, suicide, and drugs all playing a role. – than those ages 10 to 14, reports the National Center for Health Statistics.
And the number of risks today’s teens are taking staggers most parents: Seventy-eight percent of high school students have tried alcohol, and more than 5 million admit to binge drinking at least once a month. The mean age of first use: 14. One out of five kids has sex before turning 15, reports the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and many don’t understand the risk of AIDS (so they may not take precautions to prevent it). About 58% of teenage boys don’t wear seat belts – the lowest number of any group of licensed drivers.
Scary though the teen years are for parents, there’s some hopeful news: Most kids not only survive, they flourish. Around age 16 or 17, Cauffman says, they start becoming more emotionally mature. (Whether this change is due to brain maturation is still under investigation, but the connection seems likely.) Older teens are better able to control their impulses, so reason has a chance to triumph over toilet-papering the neighbor’s trees. And Spear estimates that 80% of kids grow into happy adults. Many of the remaining 20%- some unhappy, others plagued by such serious problems as substance abuse, depression, or schizophrenia – may sort themselves out eventually, too.
What’s more, the teen brain’s enormous plasticity also means that in some ways, this part of life is plenty of fun. Young people learn (and master) countless athletic skills, hobbies, interests, and passions, and make huge strides in academic learning. Here are 12 ways experts say you can protect and nurture your teen while body and brain catch up with each other:
1.Be strong and be there. Many parents, faced with a sullen teen, back off just when they’re needed most. In fact, today’s teens require hands-on parenting like never before. They’re faced with more options (should I take vocational classes or college prep? Play sports or get a job? Have sex or abstain?), yet they’ve never had to get by with so little help from caring adults because of divorce, parents’ work schedules, and less contact with extended family, says Laurence Steinberg, PhD, professor of psychology at Temple University. Maintaining close contact, of course, isn’t easy. Parents often say that every exchange turns into an argument. Stand your ground when it’s in your teen’s best interest (and when you’re afraid of being the bad guy, it’s good to remind yourself that it truly is in her best interest). Low-conflict chats are golden – look for every opportunity to start one.
2. Eat Dinner Together. Teens who eat dinner with their families six or seven nights a week are about half as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as those who eat dinner together twice or less, according to a recent study from Columbia University’s Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
3.Let ‘Em Sleep. New research from Brown University shows many teens are in a state of nearly constant sleep deprivation. While the average teen sleeps just over 7 hours a night, he needs 9 ¼ hours, and without plenty of high-quality REM sleep, teens can’t learn well. It’s kind of a cruel joke: The circadian clock, which governs sleep, pushes adolescents to stay up later and later at night, but it doesn’t help them wake up in the morning. Melatonin, for example, the chemical that governs sleep, kicks in around 10:30 PM. That’s why kids want to chat with their friends or start their homework when you’re ready for bed. (This all changes by early adulthood.) Sniff for traces of tobacco, too: In addition to smoking’s other risks, nicotine interferes with kids’ sleep patterns.
4. Give ‘Em Safe Thrills. Taking risks- particularly in groups –is a powerful urge. Don’t fight it, experts say. Encourage adventurous kids to find ways to scratch this itch other than playing chicken on the highway. Scuba diving, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and surfing are all great ways for them to explore their wild side while learning to make good decisions. Older teens can be junior fire-fighters or volunteer with the local ambulance squad.
5.Insist on Extracurricular activities. About 40% of a typical teen’s waking hours are discretionary, and researchers have found strong correlations between a lot of free time and early sexual activity, drug use, drinking, and delinquency. Conversely, kids who consistently participate in extracurricular activities have better communication skills, fewer psychosocial problems, and decreased drug and alcohol use and involvement in violence; they also experience increased academic achievement. But they don’t have to be scheduled for something every waking minute: Even kids involved in supervised extracurricular activities for as little as 1 to 4 hours a week are 49% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents, reports the US Department of Health and Human Services. Involvement in sports is particularly effective at preventing risky behaviors in both boys and girls. Studies show that teens who exercise on their own are also less likely to use drugs or engage in risky sexual activity than their nonexercising peers.
6. Talk about the Real Risks of Drinking. Teens and alcohol have always been a bad combination: Drunk teens do stupid things, and early exposure to alcohol increased the odds of your child becoming an alcoholic. (Kids who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who don’t drink until 21, according to a study in the Journal of Substance Abuse.)
Be a Road Warrior
The day a teen gets a driver’s license is fraught: A teen who can drive may mean new freedom for parents. But watching your child drive off alone for the first time is truly terrifying. Some ways to keep him safer:
*Don’t buy him a car “The worst thing you’ll ever do is give a teenager a car,” says Sean McLaurin, a division chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The teenager must have a financial stake in that car.” Not only should a teen contribute to the car’s upkeep, he should pay for insurance, McLaurin says, “so if he does have a wreck, he’ll see the consequences.” If you do decide to help him buy a car, make sure it’s big and boring, advises Allan Williams, PhD, a social psychologist and teen-driving specialist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): “Giving a kid access to a sportier car or those with safety issues, like SUVs, which tend to roll, is just asking for trouble.”
*Insist on solo driving for the first year With any new driver, most crashes happen in the first 6 months behind the wheel, making teens the most dangerous drivers on the road. But crash rates soar when you put another teen (particularly a boy) in the passenger seat. Research from Temple University found that when teens brought friends with them into simulated-driving games, their risk taking tripled. The real-world translation? Fatal car crashes are five times more likely when there are three teenage boys in the car than when one is driving alone, according to the IIHS.
*Set curfew at 10 pm The rate of car accidents involving teens is highest between 10pm and midnight, according to the IIHS.
*Become a seat-belt Nazi Even with driver’s ed fresh in their minds, teens are less likely than any other driver group to wear seat belts, says McLuarin. “Teenagers are unbelted in 60% of traffic fatalities.” Why? “Who knows- maybe its’ a red badge of courage: ‘I’m not doing it because the adults want me to,’” he speculates. If you catch your kid or one of her passengers in the act, don’t be afraid to be the bad guy and yank the keys.
Red Flags
**Friends you haven’t met Reluctance to bring new friends over to the house should raise suspicion that drugs and alcohol are in the picture.
*Girls who develop early Not only are such girls more likely to be victims of bullying and sexual overtures, some research links early puberty in girls to alcohol use.
*Kids you’ve caught smoking Once you’ve caught a child lighting up, it’s a good bet that alcohol is next on the menu. Lock up your liquor.
*Girls you suspect are sexually active. A Yale University study found that roughly half of sexually active girls ages 15 to 17 seriously underestimate the risks of unprotected sex. Girls between 15 and 19 are at the highest risk of all groups for the STDs Chlamydia and gonorrhea. So if you suspect your daughter is sleeping with boys, make sure she understands the health risks, especially HIV, and how to prevent them.
Actual photo of Einstein's brain
New connections are being made throughout the adolescent brain, even in the gray matter where we do most of our rational thinking. What’s more, the brain is feverishly reshaping itself, “pruning neural connections at the rate of 30,000 per second. The biggest changes are occurring in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, located right behind the forehead, which governs “executive” thinking: our ability to use logic, make sound decisions, and size up potential risks. Knowing that this decision-making area is still under construction explains plenty about teens. Researchers have found that even in those who generally show good judgment, the quality of decision-making fizzles in moments of high arousal. Emotion, whether happiness, anger, or jealousy – particularly when teens are with their peers – overrides logic, making even the smart ones momentarily dumb.
This phenomenon may help to explain why one teen starts smoking even though she knows it will hurt her track times, and another shoplifts a pack of gum when he has $5 in his pocket. It works like this, says Elizabeth Cauffman, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh: Your 16-year-old knows, when he pulls out of the driveway on a Friday night, that drinking and driving is (a) dangerous and 9b) will get him grounded for life. Yet in a peer group, a heightened emotion- such as anger at being called chicken – trumps knowledge. Very likely, he’ll guzzle that pint of peach schnapps anyway. Ask him later what he was thinking, and he will honestly answer: “I wasn’t.”
The fact that their “thinking brains” are works-in-progress also affects teens’ abilities to assess and respond appropriately to the emotions of others- and their own. A study at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, for example, found that teens read facial expressions differently, and less accurately, than adults do. When researchers showed a small group of adolescents (ages 12 to 17) several photographs of faces with fearful expressions, many of the kids – particularly the younger ones – misread some of the looks as surprise, anger, or confusion. (In similar studies, adults correctly identified the faces as “fearful” every time.) While the teens were reviewing the photos, MRI scans of their brains showed increased activity in the amygdale (the part of the brain that governs immediate, or gut, reactions and plays a leading role in impulsive action). Adults on the other hand, have been shown to use the frontal cortex to assess similar photos, which enables them to better distinguish subtleties in expression.
This Preserves the Species?
While living amid all this brain turbulence isn’t much fun for anybody (especially your teens), scientists think typical adolescent characteristics like defiance and risk taking may serve a valuable evolutionary purpose. Animal species in which adolescents left the pack and mated with a more diverse gene pool may have become much stronger, Spear says. Those with meek juveniles most likely had a higher risk of inbreeding, which can lead to extinction. “It’s possible this teenage defiance in many species has just become instinctive, and while it’s no longer useful to us – and in fact is dangerous – it may take evolution eons to catch up,” she says.
Whatever, the timing is terrible. Your teenager’s brain is remodeling just as modern society gives him wider access to deadly weapons: cars, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, guns. Children between the ages of 15 and 19 are three times more likely to die from all causes – with accidents, murder, suicide, and drugs all playing a role. – than those ages 10 to 14, reports the National Center for Health Statistics.
And the number of risks today’s teens are taking staggers most parents: Seventy-eight percent of high school students have tried alcohol, and more than 5 million admit to binge drinking at least once a month. The mean age of first use: 14. One out of five kids has sex before turning 15, reports the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and many don’t understand the risk of AIDS (so they may not take precautions to prevent it). About 58% of teenage boys don’t wear seat belts – the lowest number of any group of licensed drivers.
Scary though the teen years are for parents, there’s some hopeful news: Most kids not only survive, they flourish. Around age 16 or 17, Cauffman says, they start becoming more emotionally mature. (Whether this change is due to brain maturation is still under investigation, but the connection seems likely.) Older teens are better able to control their impulses, so reason has a chance to triumph over toilet-papering the neighbor’s trees. And Spear estimates that 80% of kids grow into happy adults. Many of the remaining 20%- some unhappy, others plagued by such serious problems as substance abuse, depression, or schizophrenia – may sort themselves out eventually, too.
What’s more, the teen brain’s enormous plasticity also means that in some ways, this part of life is plenty of fun. Young people learn (and master) countless athletic skills, hobbies, interests, and passions, and make huge strides in academic learning. Here are 12 ways experts say you can protect and nurture your teen while body and brain catch up with each other:
1.Be strong and be there. Many parents, faced with a sullen teen, back off just when they’re needed most. In fact, today’s teens require hands-on parenting like never before. They’re faced with more options (should I take vocational classes or college prep? Play sports or get a job? Have sex or abstain?), yet they’ve never had to get by with so little help from caring adults because of divorce, parents’ work schedules, and less contact with extended family, says Laurence Steinberg, PhD, professor of psychology at Temple University. Maintaining close contact, of course, isn’t easy. Parents often say that every exchange turns into an argument. Stand your ground when it’s in your teen’s best interest (and when you’re afraid of being the bad guy, it’s good to remind yourself that it truly is in her best interest). Low-conflict chats are golden – look for every opportunity to start one.
2. Eat Dinner Together. Teens who eat dinner with their families six or seven nights a week are about half as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as those who eat dinner together twice or less, according to a recent study from Columbia University’s Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
3.Let ‘Em Sleep. New research from Brown University shows many teens are in a state of nearly constant sleep deprivation. While the average teen sleeps just over 7 hours a night, he needs 9 ¼ hours, and without plenty of high-quality REM sleep, teens can’t learn well. It’s kind of a cruel joke: The circadian clock, which governs sleep, pushes adolescents to stay up later and later at night, but it doesn’t help them wake up in the morning. Melatonin, for example, the chemical that governs sleep, kicks in around 10:30 PM. That’s why kids want to chat with their friends or start their homework when you’re ready for bed. (This all changes by early adulthood.) Sniff for traces of tobacco, too: In addition to smoking’s other risks, nicotine interferes with kids’ sleep patterns.
4. Give ‘Em Safe Thrills. Taking risks- particularly in groups –is a powerful urge. Don’t fight it, experts say. Encourage adventurous kids to find ways to scratch this itch other than playing chicken on the highway. Scuba diving, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and surfing are all great ways for them to explore their wild side while learning to make good decisions. Older teens can be junior fire-fighters or volunteer with the local ambulance squad.
5.Insist on Extracurricular activities. About 40% of a typical teen’s waking hours are discretionary, and researchers have found strong correlations between a lot of free time and early sexual activity, drug use, drinking, and delinquency. Conversely, kids who consistently participate in extracurricular activities have better communication skills, fewer psychosocial problems, and decreased drug and alcohol use and involvement in violence; they also experience increased academic achievement. But they don’t have to be scheduled for something every waking minute: Even kids involved in supervised extracurricular activities for as little as 1 to 4 hours a week are 49% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents, reports the US Department of Health and Human Services. Involvement in sports is particularly effective at preventing risky behaviors in both boys and girls. Studies show that teens who exercise on their own are also less likely to use drugs or engage in risky sexual activity than their nonexercising peers.
6. Talk about the Real Risks of Drinking. Teens and alcohol have always been a bad combination: Drunk teens do stupid things, and early exposure to alcohol increased the odds of your child becoming an alcoholic. (Kids who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who don’t drink until 21, according to a study in the Journal of Substance Abuse.)
Be a Road Warrior
The day a teen gets a driver’s license is fraught: A teen who can drive may mean new freedom for parents. But watching your child drive off alone for the first time is truly terrifying. Some ways to keep him safer:
*Don’t buy him a car “The worst thing you’ll ever do is give a teenager a car,” says Sean McLaurin, a division chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The teenager must have a financial stake in that car.” Not only should a teen contribute to the car’s upkeep, he should pay for insurance, McLaurin says, “so if he does have a wreck, he’ll see the consequences.” If you do decide to help him buy a car, make sure it’s big and boring, advises Allan Williams, PhD, a social psychologist and teen-driving specialist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): “Giving a kid access to a sportier car or those with safety issues, like SUVs, which tend to roll, is just asking for trouble.”
*Insist on solo driving for the first year With any new driver, most crashes happen in the first 6 months behind the wheel, making teens the most dangerous drivers on the road. But crash rates soar when you put another teen (particularly a boy) in the passenger seat. Research from Temple University found that when teens brought friends with them into simulated-driving games, their risk taking tripled. The real-world translation? Fatal car crashes are five times more likely when there are three teenage boys in the car than when one is driving alone, according to the IIHS.
*Set curfew at 10 pm The rate of car accidents involving teens is highest between 10pm and midnight, according to the IIHS.
*Become a seat-belt Nazi Even with driver’s ed fresh in their minds, teens are less likely than any other driver group to wear seat belts, says McLuarin. “Teenagers are unbelted in 60% of traffic fatalities.” Why? “Who knows- maybe its’ a red badge of courage: ‘I’m not doing it because the adults want me to,’” he speculates. If you catch your kid or one of her passengers in the act, don’t be afraid to be the bad guy and yank the keys.
Red Flags
**Friends you haven’t met Reluctance to bring new friends over to the house should raise suspicion that drugs and alcohol are in the picture.
*Girls who develop early Not only are such girls more likely to be victims of bullying and sexual overtures, some research links early puberty in girls to alcohol use.
*Kids you’ve caught smoking Once you’ve caught a child lighting up, it’s a good bet that alcohol is next on the menu. Lock up your liquor.
*Girls you suspect are sexually active. A Yale University study found that roughly half of sexually active girls ages 15 to 17 seriously underestimate the risks of unprotected sex. Girls between 15 and 19 are at the highest risk of all groups for the STDs Chlamydia and gonorrhea. So if you suspect your daughter is sleeping with boys, make sure she understands the health risks, especially HIV, and how to prevent them.
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Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
Here in, New South Wales at least (not sure if they have these in all states in Australia) teen drivers cannot have any alcohol in their system...well 0.02 is the legal limit but one drink will send you over the limit so essentially they are saying that can't have a drink; can't own a high powered car; cannot have any other passengers in the car after 11pm.
Fascinating read Mis.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
That is very interesting. I wish that was the law here!
Thanks so much for visiting!
Mis