Assignment #1
A television documentary by PBS called “Inside the Teenage Brain” describes teenage behavior from the neurosciences point of view. The main theme revolves around the observation that teenagers are not yet adults but not quite children, and the state of their developing brain determines part of their behavior. Through state-of-art imaging techniques, the documentary shows how researchers study the teenager brain. Adolescence is proposed as a phase in normal child development. Scientists compare the teenage brain to that of babies, because both periods involve fast brain developing, especially in the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). During this time, gray matter thickens and grows new and stronger neuronal connections like the branches of a tree.
The Prefrontal Cortex is the anatomical region of the brain located behind the frontal bone –in other words, behind the forehead-. This region is in charge of planning behavior, use of strategies, solving problems and decision-making processes. Since during adolescence, many teenagers feel healthy, young and thus ‘invulnerable’, the lack of undeveloped decision-making processes in fact make them vulnerable to severe consequences that affect their health or that could potentially change their future. It explains partially impulsiveness, and why is it hard for teenagers to foresee the consequences of their actions. Moreover, this area is particularly sensible to substance abuse, and factors such as bad decisions, peer pressure, and ingenuity put them in increased risk of alcohol and drug use and abuse.
Some scientists discuss in the documentary that mood changes could be related to hormone levels. However, the development of the PFC during teenage years allows individuals to control these mood swings, thus counteracting hormonal effects until these levels normalize.
One segment that I found particularly interesting described how a research’s results showed that teenagers fail to recognize emotions on human faces as adults do. They might perceive anger when there is in fact fear. This phenomenon leads to miscommunication between teenagers and adults, namely parents, teachers, trainers, etc. The explanation could be found in neuroscience: while in adults it is the PFC the brain region in charge of perceiving and processing these inputs of others’ emotions, the PFC of teenagers is still underdeveloped. Therefore, another brain region in charge of emotional and visceral responses takes part. Paradoxically, teenagers often feel like they are the ones not being fully understood.
The cerebellum is another brain region that completes its development during teenage years. It is in charge not only of motor coordination, but also of thinking coordination. Thus, it could be said that teenagers are mentally clumsy until they enter adulthood. Moreover, sleep deprivation during adolescence is related to the circadian rhythm that teenagers experience: the circadian clock shifts forward, so teens stay up late and have a hard time waking up in the morning. A low-quality sleep lacking enough REM sleep time is associated with adequate performance and mood regulation.
The documentary closes by recommending parents to stay close to their children, and encourage opportunities for communication, even if teens seem to drive adults away. Social communication plays a crucial role in the development of the adolescent brain.
Assignment #2
Several brain and nervous system processes are involved in an individual’s actions and reactions to getting a hole in one. Leaning over and teeing a golf ball requires both motor and coordination centers of the brain. Motor controls are found in the parietal cortex, in a cross-patterned manner: the left side of the brain controls the motor responses of the right side of the body, and vice versa. The coordination center of the nervous system is located in the cerebellum. Its functions include coordination of posture, balance and speech so as to obtain smooth and balanced muscular activity, perfect for preparing to get a hole in one. Furthermore, although the central nervous system commands and controls these actions, they are ultimately performed by the peripheral nervous system, through the neural connections to the body muscles.
The occipital lobe is in charge of sight processing, so when he looks at the flag on the green, it is activated. Feelings of excitement and contentment are processed in the limbic system, located in different nuclei such as the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the hypothalamus. It is also called the paleomammalian brain. Dopaminergic pathways of reward could be activated between the ventral tegmental area and the limbic system through the nucleus accumbens, and the PFC, but also from the substantia nigra to another region of the brain called the striatum. Lastly, speech is in charge of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, located in the left frontal lobe and in the intersection between the left parietal and occipital lobe, respectively.
Works Cited
Inside the Teenage Brain. PBS, 2002. Web. 9 October 2014. < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/view/>
