Keys to teen brain development to be discussed Thursday at event
By Susan Parmelee
Over the past decade, scientists have discovered that both the volume of gray matter and number of neural connections increase in the years from 15 through 25. It is not until this time that the areas controlling impulse and planning ahead fully develop. Teens have almost fully developed emotional and movement centers. However, they do not have mature regulating functions. The pleasure and emotional systems in the brain are working to coordinate with the regulating areas of the brain well into the mid-20s.Google “teen brain” and you will see a variety of phrases—still under construction, an entertainment center that’s not fully hooked up, a work in progress. Keep these metaphors in mind when facing the challenging and exciting years of teen parenting. Recent advances in neuroscience are helping to unlock the puzzles behind teens’ sometimes baffling behaviors and explain why injury and death rates between the ages of 15 to 19 are six times that of 10 to 14 year olds. These are critical years for adult caregivers to be very involved in the lives of their teens.
In simple terms this means that teens are not as good as adults in:
- Thinking ahead
- Envisioning future consequences of actions
- Resisting pressures from others
- Forgoing immediate rewards in order to get a greater benefit
What our young adults need most are consistent rules and guidelines in order to grow up healthy and give their brain a chance to make these new connections occur.
Since teens are much more likely to make “gut reactions” and highly emotional choices, they are much more likely to take part in risky behaviors. When they do take part in risky behaviors they engage the pleasure seeking part of the brain more easily then the fully developed adult brain, making it much harder for a teen to hit the brakes and stop the behavior even when they know the behavior is dangerous.
Unfortunately, this also makes the teen brain much more prone to addiction. Three of the biggest risks for teen health are alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. When teens start using any of these substances, the pleasure seeking area of the brain is quickly engaged and more easily left wanting more. Brain scans also illustrate that substance use inhibits grey matter growth and reduces neural connections necessary to connect the various regions of the brain, inhibiting brain development.
Our best defense against teens developing risky behaviors that lead to life long health consequences is to help them find passion in their lives through athletics, the arts, vocational opportunities and community involvement. Keeping kids busy is one of the best antidotes to dangerous behaviors. The Wellness & Prevention Center, San Clemente is seeking community members interested in helping build teen opportunities for recreation and leadership.
Please join us with your teen on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in the San Clemente Community Center for the first in our Get to 21 speaker series, “Secrets of the Teen Brain.” The Get to 21 Speaker Series will be a 2 year series—if you have topic or speaker suggestions, please contact Susan Parmelee.
Susan Parmelee is a social worker who works during the week at San Clemente High School in the Wellness & Prevention Center and at Western Youth Services. To subscribe to Wellness & Prevention Center weekly emails email “subscribe” to tritons41@gmail.com.