While any parent of a teenager will no doubt have had first-hand experience of their sweet child growing into a seemingly unruly menace, new research is giving hope to parents by helping them to understand some of the neural mechanisms behind the changes that occur during adolescence. According to research led by neuropsychologist Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD, of Harvard University, the reason that many adolescents experience so much emotional turmoil may be associated with the fact that adolescent brains process information differently compared to adult brains. Using neuroimaging techniques, Yurgelun-Todd and her team revealed underlying brain differences that may account for traits including impulsivity, poor judgment and social anxiety. These differences are mainly due to the fact that the frontal cortex - the brain structure involved in our ability to make decisions, use insight, and exercise sound judgment and inhibitory control - is still developing, restricting the ability of adolescents to process things at an adult level. On this note, Yurgelun-Todd has this advice for parents:

“Don’t assume that because you’ve laid out the argument or presented the idea that teenagers are interpreting it in the same way you’ve presented it”.

In a study conducted in 2005, Yurgelun-Todd uncovered evidence suggesting that social anxiety in adolescents may be linked to brain development, specifically the development of the amygdala which is responsible for emotions including fear. The research found that, when presented with images of fearful faces while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, some adolescents displayed increased amygdala activity which was positively related to an increase in social anxiety scores, but was not related to other types of anxiety. Results of this research suggested that adolescents and adults associate anxiety with different causes.

Further research by Yurgelun-Todd found that the development of the prefrontal cortex – the brain structure responsible for many cognitive processes – leads to improvements in cognitive control and behavioural inhibition as an adolescent grows to an adult. This process of change, known as frontalisation, is thought to explain the increased ability of adolescents to apply abstract thinking. While abstract reasoning is an important tool for adults, allowing them to self-regulate, Isabelle Rosso, PhD, points out that this ability in adolescents may lead to an increase in levels of social anxiety. This is because abstract reasoning allows people to think outside of themselves and see themselves in the way others see them, possibly leading to increased levels of self-consciousness in adolescents.

With these fascinating results, lab members working with Yurgelun-Todd hope that they will be able to identify adolescents who are at risk of developing substance abuse, depression, schizophrenia, and other psychological conditions.

However, Yurgelun-Todd warns that ‘just because there are neurobiological components to teen behaviour doesn’t discount the effect of environmental or social factors, nor does it absolve teenagers of accountability’. Furthermore, Linda Spear, PhD, cautions that it is too early for researchers to be able to understand the implications of their findings in their entirety, suggesting that further research is needed and should focus on merging imaging studies with animal research to provide a broader perspective of the issue at hand.

Taken from:

Packard, E. (2007). That teenage feeling. Monitor on Psychology, 38(4).

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