Adolescent brain development

Prefrontal cortex

- Frontal Lobe not fully mature until 25 years of age : center of inhibition; - While it grows more flexible and adaptable, the brain's main task is to develop the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for impulsive control and reasoning.

Changes

- Most brain changes during adolescence occur in the frontal regions. - Neurons continue to become myelinated, and after a period of overabundance of synapses, the number of synapses declines: brain cells, their connections and receptors for chemical messengers called neurotransmitters peak during childhood, then decline in adolescence. - Brain functioning becomes more effective and more specialized during adolescence - The balance between frontal and limbic system change, causing a change in emotional and executive control.

Problems

A lot of psychological problems start to occur in adolescence due to malfunctioning of the brain caused by either genetic predisposition, interaction with the environment or both.