The Amazing Teen Brain
A time of huge opportunities — and risks
Dr. Dan Siegal: Teen Brain
Dan Siegal, M.D., provides thoughtful, easy-to-understand explanations of adolescent brain development. He is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the executive director of the Mindsight Institute, which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities.
Dr. Siegel has published extensively. His book Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain is especially useful for parents.
Teen Brain Under Construction with Crystal Collier, PhD
The human brain does not fully develop until the mid-20s. Scientists now know the brain is getting reorganized in a big way during the teenage years.
For teens, not only is the brain still very much in development, but different regions of the brain are changing at different rates, with life-changing consequences.
Teen Brain Development and Behavior Ted Talk
The human brain does not fully develop until the mid-20s. Scientists now know the brain is getting reorganized in a big way during the teenage years.
For teens, not only is the brain still very much in development, but different regions of the brain are changing at different rates, with life-changing consequences.
Why the Teen Brain has an Evolutionary Advantage
All the seemingly crazy behaviors of teenagers, they aren’t just there to annoy parents – they might serve a real evolutionary purpose. Not only are the brains of teenagers still developing, but different regions of the brain are changing at different rates, with important consequences . . . and risks.
Teen Brain Facts
- A pruning and strengthening process is happening in brains between the ages of 13 to 25. During this time, the brain cells and neural connections that get used the least are pruned away and those used the most become stronger.
- The parts of the adolescent brain which develop first are those which control physical coordination, emotion and motivation.
- The part of the brain which controls reasoning and impulses, the prefrontal cortex, is among the last parts of the brain to develop. The prefrontal cortex is what allows us to think about the future, understand consequences and generally make better decisions.
- More and more research is showing experimentation with drugs like marijuana and alcohol can have lasting harmful effects. Brain scans for instance, have linked underage alcohol abuse with decreased memory functioning.
- The developing brain is at high risk of addiction. Drugs, like marijuana, can overload the brain with dopamine and cause the reward system to get out of whack and send too many “feel-good” signals. In response, the brain tries to right the balance by letting through fewer of the “feel-good” signals the brain makes naturally. This causes a teen to feel “in a funk” when not using drugs – and going back for more only makes things worse.
“Teen users are at significantly higher risk of developing an addictive disorder compared to adults, and the earlier they begin using, the higher their risk. Nine out of 10 people who meet the clinical criteria for substance use disorders involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs began using these drugs before they turned 18. People who begin using any addictive substance before age 15 are six and a half times as likely to develop a substance use disorder as those who delay use until age 21 or older (28.1 percent vs. 4.3 percent).”
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse