Introduction
The article explores the neurological function of the teenage brain to explain the risky behaviors which adolescents are associated with. Teenage brain responses are measured by neuroscientists to evaluate their responses to various stimuli. The results of these experiments show that the brain of a teenager is cognitively different from that of an adult, making it harder for them to respond as naturally as adults to stimuli. This often results in the rash and risky behavior which teenagers are well known for. The author of the article generally tries to generate empathy and understanding for teenage behavior by linking their reactions neurological functions.
Scientific Evidence
A research study by a neuroscientist, Bea Luna at the University of Pittsburg Medical Centre in Pennsylvania demonstrated that the teenage brain worked harder to perform a function when compared to the adult brain. The study required a teenager to ignore a light at the corner of the eye (peripheral vision) and focus straight ahead. The study revealed that the teenagers had to ‘overwork’ the frontal regions of their brains so as to keep focusing ahead. The author used this study to explain why it becomes much harder for a teenager to behave maturely consistently.
Another study used in the article was by US National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland (NIMH). This study took ten years and began in 1991 where 2,000 people were subjected to brain scans every two years and whose age ranged from three to twenty five years. The study used Magnetic Resonance Imaging to distinguish between grey matter and white matter of the brain across the age groups and as they continued aging. Grey matter was found to thicken in childhood but thin out as the child progressed to adulthood starting from the back and ending at the front in adulthood. This process was found to end faster in girls hence confirming that girls indeed matured faster than boys. A study carried out at Vassar University in New York reinforced the results of the NIMH research by studying the pattern of white brain matter in undergraduates in their first year and checked the patterns again after six months. White matter was found to have increased which confirms the thinning of grey matter revealed by NIMH research.
The article discusses the parts of the Central Nervous System (CNS) which are the grey matter and white matter. White matter is made up of myelinated axons which act to ensure communication between regions of the brain’s grey matter. These regions are often associated with cognitive functions and the white matter tends to continue developing until middle age. The grey matter is made up of masses of dendrites and cell bodies. This region is involved in various brain functions like sensory perception, muscle control and speech. This article has shown that during development the grey matter has thins out and white matter thickens in a process of synaptic remodeling. As a result of this, the article suggests that the teenager’s reactions and behaviors are less stable and more risky. The information in the article does not conflict with the class text, (Starr and McMillan, 2007).
Source Evaluation
This article was written by Kendall Powell who is a science writer based in Colorado. The author is not affiliated to any scientific institution but instead works freelance. This article was published in 2006 and is current with regards to research in this topic. This article was published by Nature Publishing Group which is a popular journal. The article is aimed for a generalized audience because while the article explains scientific concepts it does make use of language and expressions which are relatable to the general audience. The information covered in the article can be described as being based on fact. It is based on partly on fact and partly on opinions because the author does use the results of various research studies and contributions of various scientists while integrating research results to make implications. The author makes use of results from research studies of credible scientists and teams. Examples are: University of Pittsburg Medical Centre; NIMH; and Vassar University. In addition, the author makes use of scientific insights from credible scientists like George Bartozokis who is a neuroscientist working at the University of California and Tomas Paus from the University of Nottingham and Elizabeth Sowell from the University of California. The article can be argued to be based on opinions because scientific studies have not directly linked specific teenage reactions to brain restructuring, the author has integrated the results of several studies to advance the possibility of a link between the brain and teen behavior.
The author is objective and impartial because he/ she makes use of the scientific opinion from one of the contributors who cautions against linking specific teen behavior to the brain as it is unverified by a enough numbers of scientific data to base a solid conclusion on . The article can be said to fully cover the topic being addressed and a credible source of information because it uses different scientific and credible sources as reference in addition to contributions from credible scientists.
Reference
Powell K., (2006). How Does The Teenage Brain Work? Nature 442 (24): 864-867
