Example: confidence

Teensand DecisionMaking: WhatBrain Science Reveals

YOUR BODYREAL NEWSHEADS UPHEADS UPABOUT DRUGS FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE national institute ON DRUG ABUSE, national INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESD oyou ever act before thinking? Have you ever wondered why? Do you worry thismight create problems? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read , a bit on how a brain makes decisions. Decisions don t just happen automatically in your conscious mind. Theystem from a series of events in the brain, which happen almost instantaneously. This involves a relay system in which differentstructures made up of specialized cells called neurons talk with each other by way of electrochemical impulses and chemical messengers, called flowing through this decision-making circuit is analyzed in the differentstructures.

from scholastic and the scientists of the national institute on drug abuse, national institutes of health, u.s. department of health and human services

Tags:

  Sciences, National, Institute, Reveals, National institutes of, Science reveals

Information

Domain:

Source:

Link to this page:

Please notify us if you found a problem with this document:

Other abuse

Transcription of Teensand DecisionMaking: WhatBrain Science Reveals

1 YOUR BODYREAL NEWSHEADS UPHEADS UPABOUT DRUGS FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE national institute ON DRUG ABUSE, national INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESD oyou ever act before thinking? Have you ever wondered why? Do you worry thismight create problems? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read , a bit on how a brain makes decisions. Decisions don t just happen automatically in your conscious mind. Theystem from a series of events in the brain, which happen almost instantaneously. This involves a relay system in which differentstructures made up of specialized cells called neurons talk with each other by way of electrochemical impulses and chemical messengers, called flowing through this decision-making circuit is analyzed in the differentstructures.

2 Then the network, as a whole,Picture this: Your finger is poised on thesendbutton, your eyes scanning anangry e-mail you ve dashed off to afriend who has upset you. Some thingsyou ve written are a little harsh. Inyour brain a little red light goes off, but, what theheck, you re steamed and your friend deserves push the you re aware or not, rushed decisionslike this acting before thinking it through happen more often in teens than in adults. Recentdiscoveries in brain Science may help explain whythis is : Denis Felix/Getty and Decision Making: What Brain ScienceRevealsNIDA6_INS4_Stu Mag 2/8/08 1:59 PM Page 2 FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE national institute ON DRUG ABUSE, national INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES puts out a response.

3 This output provides thebasis for our behaviors and this process is basically the same forteens and adults, the devil is in the details. Sincethe brain is not fully developed until the early20s, the way in which a teen s decision-makingcircuit integrates information may put him or herat a higher risk of making decisions the teencould later TEEN BRAIN: Under ConstructionNot long ago, scientists thought the humanbrain was fully mature long before the teenyears. While research shows that one s brainreaches its maximum size between ages 12 and14 (depending on whether you are a girl or aboy), it also shows that brain development is farfrom complete. Regions of the brain continue tomature all the way through a person s early key brain region that matures late is the prefrontal cortex, located directly behindyour forehead.

4 The prefrontal cortex is veryimportant as a control center for thinking aheadand sizing up risks and rewards. (This area is, in fact, the little red light that was trying to warn you about sending that e-mail.) Meanwhile,another part of the brain that matures earlier isthe limbic system, which plays a central role inemotional the limbic system matures earlier, it is more likely to gain an upper hand indecision making. This relationship between theemotional center (limbic system) and controlcenter (prefrontal cortex) helps to explain ateen s inclination to rush decisions. In otherwords, when teens make choices in emotionallycharged situations, those choices are often moreweighted in feelings(the mature limbic system)over logic(the not-yet-mature prefrontal cortex).This is also why teens are more likely to make bad choices, such as using drugs, alcohol, andtobacco all of which pose a risk of serioushealth consequences.

5 Most kids don t really plan to use drugs, says Professor LaurenceSteinberg of Temple University, at least not thefirst time. They are more likely to experiment on the spur of the moment, particularly wheninfluenced by others [ peer pressure]. FINE-TUNING THE BRAINLike therest of thebody, thebrain needsto mature inorder toreach processinvolves slowchanges stronglyinfluenced bybrainactivity thathave evolvedto fine tune(or optimize)how neural impulses flow throughout the brain,allowing it to process information faster andmore reliably. Inside the brain, information travels through a network of neurons, which havethread-like fibers called axonsand branch-likestructures called dendrites. Dendrites bringinformation into the neurons, while axons take it away and pass it along to the next , neurons are assembled into circuits wherethe far end of an axon (its terminal) is positionedclose to a dendrite.

6 The small space between thetwo is called a synapse where information childhood and adolescence, thebrain is busy fine-tuning itself through two keyprocesses: myelination and synaptic pruning. Axo nCell bodyCell bod yMyel insheathDendr it esDendrite sDir ec ti onof i mpul seAxonte rminalsSynapseAsynapseis the small space where anaxon and dendrite exchange information. NIDA6_INS4_Stu Mag 2/8/08 1:59 PM Page 3 FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE national institute ON DRUG ABUSE, national INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESP hoto: each word in Column A to its meaning in Column AColumn pruningA. brain area important for thinking ahead and sizing up risk and rewardB. process in which axons become wrapped up in fatty myelin sheathC.

7 Brain system that plays a central role in emotional responsesD. the small space between axons and dendrites where neuronsexchange informationE. cutting back the number of synapsesappropriate behaviors, they are helping to shapetheir brains and their A MINUTE!Learning how your brain works can helpexplain why sometimes you behave like you this knowledge, you can be better equippedto make smart choices. One tip to follow is to take a momentbeforeacting. When making a decision, something assimple as stopping to think can mean thedifference between a positive and a negativeoutcome. By waiting a minute before acting, you allow yourself to: consider consequences; weigh harmful outcomes ( , harm toyourself or others) against short-term benefits( , fitting in or feeling high); determine whether peer pressure is makingyou do something you d otherwise not do; get information or advice, if you need more information about drugs and your body, visit learn more about pausing to allow yourself to make smart choices, check myelination, axons wrap themselves in a fatty substance (myelin sheath), which works likethe insulating plastic that surrounds electricalwires.

8 This boosts the brain s efficiency byincreasing the speed with which a signal travelsdown the axon by up to 100 times. In synapticpruning, synapses not used very often areremoved, allowing the brain to redirect preciousresources toward more active synapses. Thisstrategic loss of weak synapses shapes the brainand makes it more efficient. This importantpruning process molds the brain in response to a person s experiences and meansthat teens have the potential,through theirchoices and thebehaviors theyengage in, toshape their own braindevelopment strengthening some circuits and getting rid ofothers. This makes the type of activities teens areinvolved in especially important. Skill-buildingactivities, such as many physical, learning, andcreative endeavors, not only provide stimulatingchallenges, but can simultaneously build strongbrain pathways.

9 When teens learn and repeatNIDA6_INS4_Stu Mag 2/8/08 1:59 PM Page 4


Related search queries