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Learning occurs only after excess synapses not stimulated by experience are eliminated, much like the pieces of marble that have to be chipped away to create a work of art. Now scientists have found that a second wave of growth and pruning occurs in adolescence. Synapses that are not incorporated into neural networks for memory , decision-making and emotional control are eliminated to make way for a leaner, more efficient brain. This late blossoming of synapses, it is thought, provides the brain with a new capacity for learning and allows the brain to make the transition from childhood to adulthood. For frazzled parents, the findings may provide new understanding and patience as their teens navigate this increasingly rough passage. Science is finally beginning to see whats going on in the teen mind. Were able to actually visualize what the changes are that are happening in the brain and how the brain is adapting to its environment and changing to help it deal with all these challenges that are happening during adolescence, said Dr. Sanjiv Kumra of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York.
By the time puberty is over in the middle to late teens, when adult height and full reproductive capacity have been achieved, the body is at its peak--the strongest, swiftest and healthiest it will ever be. But the brain lags behind, laboring to adapt to the most complex society that has existed. This mismatch--between a fully grown body and an immature brain that is trying to cope with emotions, sexual urges, poor judgment, thrill seeking and risk taking--is a key factor making motor vehicle accidents the No. 1 cause of death among adolescents and young adults, followed by murder and suicide. Using powerful new imaging technology to look inside the brain, scientists are beginning to unravel the biology behind this critical period of development. They are finding that an adolescents brain undergoes a previously unsuspected biological makeover--a massive growth of synaptic connections between brain cells. This spectacular surge kicks off an extensive renovation of the brain that is not complete until the mid-20s. Scientists say the resulting learning curve, when teens struggle to shed childish thoughts for adult ones, is why adolescence is such a prolonged and perilous journey for so many . It helps explain not only why teens are more prone to crash a car than at any other time of life, but why they are more likely to engage in risky sex, drug abuse or delinquency . Although teens often can think as logically as an adult, the process can be easily derailed by flaring emotions or other distractions. The reason that kids take chances when they drive is not because theyre ignorant, said Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg. Its because other things undermine their better judgment. The synaptic growth spurt that occurs in puberty is similar to the ones that occur after birth, when the brain first begins to learn. The early exposure to the outside world enables the brain to connect to the body , developing its capacity for processing sound, sight, smell, touch and taste, and to make sense of them.
But this long period of brain development also has a significant downside when teens get behind the wheel of a car. Brain scientists like to joke that car rental companies must have the best neuroscientists because they wont let a person rent a car until age 25. But the real reason is clear to any actuary: Every year between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers are killed in motor vehicle accidents and 300,000 are injured. Teen crashes are not just caused by showing off, substance abuse, aggression, thrill seeking or speeding, although they play a role, said Giedd. Recent research suggests that an important culprit is the immaturity of the teenage brain and its lack of multitasking skills--especially in boys. The last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex, Giedd said, which may not fully develop until the mid-20s. Thats important, he explained, because this part of the brain controls decision-making, judgment and impulse control, all of which are involved in multitasking, or processing more than one thing at a time. The more multitasking that you do--talking on a cell phone, adjusting the volume of a stereo, talking to people in the car--the more trouble youre asking for, Giedd said. And it fits into the sex differences: Women are better at multitasking than males at every age and they have a strikingly lower rate of car accidents.
ger, then these changes can make it better suited to deal with the environment. Adolescence has now become so extended that it runs to about age 25, experts say . What sits in the middle of this stretched-out adolescence are incredible increases in behavioral and emotional health problems, and brain changes that take a long time and lots of practice to acquire necessary skills, Dahl said. The brains facility for early learning is remarkable: Its as good at reasoning by age 16 as it is in adulthood, Steinberg said. So then the question is: `Well, if kids are as smart as adults, why do they do such dumb things? said Steinberg, who presented new findings this month at the Society for Research on Adolescence meeting.