The Teen Brain Still Under Construction Summary

In the nonfiction article “The Teen Brain: Still under construction” by NIMH, the author believes the teen brain is still developing emotionally, intellectually, and hormonally.

During the adolescents, stage evidence shows that teens emotions height during this age and therefore they become more emotionally active. This is due to the development of brain centers and signaling molecules of the brain's reward system. This is how the brain encourages or motivates behavior with the feeling of pleasure. “ These age-related changes shape how much different parts of the brain are activated in response to experience and in the terms of behavior, the urgency and intensity of emotional reactions.” As the brain matures throughout the teen years many of them face the challenge of emotional change for the first time. The parts of the brain that deals with emotions and allows for

decision making are not fully matured yet. This can lead to mood swings, impulsive behaviors, and intense reactions to the things around them. The emotions become more intense, but the ability to control or cope with them has yet to be developed with age and experience. This indicates how emotion behaviors are still developing during the teen years.

Furthermore, the author believes that the teen brain is still maturing intellectually.

Further research indicates that a person's intellectual capacity is at its greatest during these years. So much so that it could be compared to that of a full grown adult. The brain acts as a sponge soaking up all the information around it, learning as much as it can. “Adolescents and adults seem to engage different parts of their brain to different extents…” Thought the intellectual ability of a teen can match that of an adult does not mean that they think and interpret things the same. While performing tasks such as solving different problems and test, studies show that, when compared side by side, teens use different parts of the brain to different extents then the adult. This is due to the fact that the brain is still “Under Construction”. Therefore teen must use different parts of the brain for the same task as not all aspects of the brain are ready to handle some tasks, causing different results in different emotional and behavioral responses. This indicates the teen brain is still maturing

intellectually.

Moreover, the author also believes the teen brain is still developing hormonally. During the adolescent stage, teens are known for has mood swings. This is caused by enormous changes in hormones, especially reproductive and stress hormones. These changes are the major cause of changes in teen behavior and emotions. “As with the reproductive hormones, stress hormones have a complex effect on the brain…” One hormonal change teen experience changes in the reproductive hormones. These hormones drive sexual desire and social behavior. The feelings of lust and love become intense and teen experience an attraction to others along with the need to be around people. This is nature's way of ensuring the survival of the population with the production of offspring for the next generation. Another hormonal change that teens experience is the change in stress hormones. With a shift in these hormones come often changes in mood and impulsive behavior based on these emotions. These changes can also change teens sleep regulations, resulting in teens staying up late. The side-effects of is are sleep-deprivation, fatigues, difficulty focusing, irritability, and depression. Adequate sleep is essential for all ages, especially teens because when a person sleep the brain is the most active and contributes to physical and emotional health. Without adequate sleep, the human body can not function properly. This is how hormones change during the teen year to show that the brain is still growing at this stage.
In conclusion, the article “The Teen Brain: still under construction” by NIMH, the author believes that the teen brain is still maturing emotionally, intellectually, and hormonally during the adolescent stage.