![]() ![]() And those changes continue throughout the teens and beyond. Regardless, sex differences are just a small part of the big changes sweeping through the brain during adolescence. But it's not clear whether those differences are the result of genetics, hormones, or social and cultural influences, she says. Luna says that suggests there are some sex differences in certain brain circuits. But when participants were asked about the experience later, males said, "Oh, it was fine," while females described it as "extremely stressful." "Males' blood pressure was higher than females," Luna says. That was one finding of an analysis of research on teens asked to perform tasks like solving an impossible math problem, or giving a talk to a group of strangers. And around this time, males and females also begin to react differently to certain experiences - like stress. "That means they're insulated with fatty tissue, which not only speeds neuronal transmission, but protects from any further changes." Sex differences in the brain and in behaviorĪdolescent brain changes tend to start earlier in girls than in boys. "The connections that remain become myelinated," Luna says. Shots - Health News Building a better brain through music, dance and poetryĭuring this period the brain is also optimizing the wiring it decides to keep. And when he'd mastered one trick, he'd push himself to learn a new one, despite the risks. But getting the nerve to try a skate park for the first time was "kind of scary," he says. Leo has been skateboarding since he was 10. "When you're younger, your mind is more open, and you're more creative, and nothing matters," says Leo De Leon, 13. ![]() It's a public site, filled with teens hanging out, taking risks, and learning new skills at a rapid pace. That development is on display most afternoons at the Shaw Skatepark in Washington, D.C. "I want people to understand that adolescence is not a disease, that adolescence is an amazing time of development," says Beatriz Luna, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development that scientists call "breathtaking."įor the parents of a teenager, adolescence can be a challenging time. "When you're younger, your mind is more open, and you're more creative," says 13-year-old Leo De Leon. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |