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The teen brain

The brain is still under development in the teen years

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Originally published in Today's Parent January 2010

Kathy Martin* of Nanoose Bay, BC, says that at age 13, her daughter Beth would often “phone home at 2:45 on a Friday afternoon, expecting me to be there, waiting to come and pick her up — even though she hadn’t mentioned at any time previous that she might need a ride.”

If Martin wasn’t home, she’d hear about it later from her daughter: “‘You went to Costco? How can you be so thoughtless?’ She tended to think we were all just living in suspended animation until she walked into the room or needed us to do something.”

Beth, now 17, has eased up on her expectations of her family (and, thankfully, can now drive herself). However, younger brother James has developed his own mental roadblocks. “James has issues around transportation,” Martin says. He gets on a bus only to discover, when it stops, that he is in the wrong place entirely. “He does OK if I guide him to think things through, but he doesn’t do it on his own.”

What is it with teen brains? The same kids who can master algebra, volunteer to help disabled athletes, and navigate the complex structures of World of Warcraft, can also seem hopelessly irresponsible, reckless and self-centred. Adults have probably been complaining about these issues since the beginning of time. But we’re the first generation to have a window into the adolescent mind, and new research on brain structure and chemistry is giving us some answers.

* Names changed by request.

Brain development

Researchers Frances Jensen and David Urion of Harvard Medical School reported in Harvard Magazine that recent MRI studies show the adolescent brain is only 80 percent developed, and the last section to “connect up” is the frontal lobe — which may not happen until age 20 or 25. The frontal lobe is the part responsible for things like planning for the future and judgment. The neural network between brain cells is enlarging during the early teen years (12 to 14 for girls, roughly two years later for boys), meaning that the brain is ready to learn, but also susceptible to stress.

The not-yet-fully-connected frontal lobe is also responsible for recognizing emotions in others. Another Harvard researcher showed pictures of frightened faces to both adults and teens. While 100 percent of the adults identified the emotion as fear, more than half of the young teens (ages 11 to 14) thought the person was sad or angry, rather than frightened.

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