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If you have had the opportunity to spend time with teenagers you are well aware that they can be both a blessing and a curse. Their moods can shift from playful and giddy to ornery and mean in a matter of seconds. Rolling eyes, smart mouths and risky behaviors seem to be a simple matter of course for 13-19 year olds, sometimes extending a little earlier or a little later in life.
It is common to hear about the negative consequences of teen behavior; drug and alcohol injury or death, pregnancy, violence. It isn’t often that the causal factors of adolescent behavior are identified. The brain plays an integral role in behavior. It is responsible for the action sequences that lead to the ultimate outward behavior.
By the end of a child’s 6th year of life the brain has formed many new pathways creating gray matter in a process called proliferation. During adolescence the brain undergoes a series of transformations, most importantly pruning and myelination. Pruning is similar to the familiar term used when gardening for trimming away excessive material. Myelination is the growth of white matter which is responsible for helping the brain communicate.
The process the brain goes through during this time is essential for survival. The connections in the brain, known as neurons, are continuously examined to see if they are serving a purpose. If the neurons are weak, ineffective or unnecessary then they are trimmed away making room for more productive neurons. During adolescence, this process is in full swing and the brain is very impressionable, adding neurons which will serve the body most efficiently.
The teenage brain must be extremely flexible not only to the changing environment but also to the changes occurring in the body. The frontal cortex of the brain is the last area to complete the myelination process. This area is responsible for emotions, voluntary movements and planning.
It is not surprising that adolescence is a time of awkwardness, heightened emotional response and risk-taking. It is a critical time of development and successful navigation is crucial. If the developing brain is exposed to trauma, substances or injury it can impact the person for the rest of his or her life.
A blow to the head may seem minor to the player but the neurons in the brain have actually sustained microscopic tears resulting in impairment in functioning. This kind of trauma should be prevented at all costs and treated proactively. Players who suffer a head injury should sit out the rest of the game, be given a thorough assessment by a professional and monitored closely for at least 24 hours.
Likewise, exposing the brain to alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, caffeine, artificial food colorings and other drugs can have a detrimental effect on a teen during adolescence and into adulthood. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.
If the brain is exposed to substances during the pruning process it begins to recognize the substance as necessary and does not trim them away. There by potentially trimming away effective, abuse fighting, neurons to make way for the substance containing neurons. So the brain is actually learning to accept the substances as something that is supposed to be there.
The best way to ensure successful navigation through adolescence is by protecting teens from exposure to substances and trauma.
For more detailed prevention information contact 7VCASA at 756-8970.
Kimberly McRae Friedman is the Associate Director of Seven Valleys Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and is an advisory member for Cortland Area Communities That Care Coalition.
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