Impulse and adventure: Deconstructing the adolescent brain January 03, 2017 Source: Popular Science China A striking feature of the adolescent's brain is its ability to adapt to changes in the environment by adjusting the network connections in the brain. This special plasticity is a double-edged sword, which not only helps young people to make great progress in cultivating cognitive thinking and adapting to society, but also is more likely to lead to dangerous behaviors and serious mental illnesses. Recent studies have shown that adolescents' high-risk behavior stems from a mismatch in the developmental progression of the limbic system and the prefrontal cortical neural network. The former drives emotions and develops rapidly during puberty, while the latter develops relatively late, mainly responsible for providing reasonable judgment and impulsive control. Researchers now know that the prefrontal cortex is fully mature until about 20 years old, and today's puberty advancement makes the time span of this mismatch prolonged. The plasticity of neural network connections between brain regions is the key to determining whether adolescents are adults or not, rather than the maturity of the brain regions themselves. Understanding this will be very helpful for parents, teachers, counselors and young people themselves, and will help adults determine the right time to intervene. An in-depth understanding of the uniqueness of the adolescent's brain can also help to distinguish whether some aggressive anomalous behaviors are age-appropriate behaviors or disease precursors, and help reduce the incidence of negative social behavior among adolescents. Unique adolescent brain Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe and accurate method for revealing brain anatomy and physiological characteristics of people of all ages. According to the life-long follow-up study of thousands of individuals and twins, the consensus conclusion at this stage is that the maturity of the adolescent brain is not due to the enlargement of the brain area, but to the increasingly close contact between different regions and the specialization of brain function. . In magnetic resonance imaging scans, an increase in white matter volume represents an increase in brain-zone association. The "white" of white matter comes from a kind of lipid called myelin, in which the axons protruding from the cell bodies of the neurons are surrounded by the myelin sheath, thereby being isolated from the outside. The formation of lipid myelin sheaths throughout the development of the brain, which accelerates the transmission of information between neurons. The nerve signaling velocity of myelinated axons is nearly a hundred times that of unmyelinated axons. Another reason why axonal myelination can speed up brain information processing is that myelin can help axons to recover quickly after discharge. As the recovery period becomes shorter, the specific neuron information transmission speed will increase by 30 times. The faster transmission speed and the shorter recovery period make the brain data "bandwidth" of adulthood increase by a factor of 1000 compared with infancy, thus establishing a broad and sophisticated network in the brain. Recent studies have found other subtle effects of myelin. Although neurons receive signals from other neurons, they only discharge when the input signal exceeds a certain threshold. Once the neuron is discharged, a series of molecular reactions are initiated that reinforce the synaptic connections between the neuron and the input neurons. This synaptic enhancement is the basic mechanism of brain learning. Scientists have now discovered that in order to allow signals from distant and nearby neurons to arrive at the same time, information transmission time must be precisely controlled, and myelin plays an important role in it. After a child enters puberty, the rapid expansion of the myelin can accelerate and coordinate the participation behavior of each brain region in different cognitive tasks. Gray matter change In addition, there is an important change during puberty. Like other complex natural processes, brain development undergoes a continuous process of overproduction and selective elimination. At the same time, commonly used connections are enhanced. Although the process of elimination and strengthening is accompanied by a person's life, during the adolescence, the center of gravity is more inclined to eliminate the process, and the brain will reinvent itself according to the needs of the environment. With the elimination of excessive connections between neurons, specialization gradually formed and the gray matter of the brain began to decrease. Gray matter includes a large number of unmyelinated structures such as neuronal cell bodies, dendrites and specific axons. In human development, gray matter increases in childhood, peaks at about 10 years of age, and gradually decreases after entering puberty, and then falls further when entering the stable period of adulthood and then into old age. The earliest brain region that reaches the peak of gray matter is the primary perceptual cortex, which is responsible for perception and treatment of stimuli such as light, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The brain region that peaks at the latest is the prefrontal cortex responsible for performing functions, and its execution capabilities include organization, decision making, planning, and emotional regulation. An important function of the prefrontal cortex is to provide hypothetical predictive ability for the future based on past experience. By summarizing the past and considering the current situation, hypotheses can be made about future possible outcomes without “hands-onâ€. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex is also an important area for social cognition. As mentioned above, one of the distinguishing features of the pubertal brain area is the change in gray matter and white matter. As the brain matures, these changes are gradually changing the network connections between brain regions. Developmental imbalance Under the action of hormones, the limbic system changes significantly from the beginning of puberty (generally 10 to 12 years old). The limbic system is responsible for regulating mood and responding to rewards, and through the synergy with the prefrontal cortex, adolescents are more interested in pursuing excitement, adventure, and getting along with friends. These behaviors have a profound biological foundation, which is manifested in the fact that young people are adventurous, yearning for new environments and seeking outside relationships. The final decision on adolescent behavior is not only the late development of the regulatory function, but also the early occurrence of impulsive behavior, but the degree of mismatch between the two. The emotionalization of adolescents is caused by the limbic system, and the prefrontal cortex, which plays a controlling role, will not be fully mature until about 25 years old. Therefore, in the middle of the past ten years, there will be a relationship between impulsive emotions and calm behavior. In an unbalanced state. Adolescence is a "double-edged sword" The long maturity and prolonged brain plasticity period allow us to have a choice in the process of growing up. This is also crucial in the evolutionary history of humanity as a whole. However, the prolongation of the plasticity of the brain brings many benefits to humans, but it also brings some drawbacks. From this point of view, there is a complex relationship between typical changes in the brains of adolescents and mental disorders. The underlying underlying association may be “transportation vulnerabilityâ€, ie large-scale changes in white matter, gray matter, and neural networks increase brain errors. The possibility. In addition to the spiritual level, adolescence is the healthiest period in a person's life, and its immune system, resistance to cancer, and tolerance to heat and cold are at the best stage of life. But at the same time, the rate of major illnesses and deaths among adolescents is two to three times that of children. As the brain development mechanism and the impact of adolescents become clearer, more and more scientists are beginning to pay attention to this field, hoping to minimize the negative effects, while fully exploiting the amazing plasticity of the adolescent brain. Understanding the uniqueness and rapid variability of adolescent brains can help parents, society and young people better cope with risks and seize opportunities. Understanding the plasticity of the brain also helps parents and children engage in constructive dialogue on important issues such as the impact of freedom and responsibility on personal growth. For young people themselves, understanding the new neurosciences associated with adolescence will also motivate them to voluntarily “optimize†the brain and develop their personality and abilities. Ungrouped,High Quality Ungrouped,Ungrouped Details, CN Shenzhen Guangyang Zhongkang Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.nirlighttherapy.com