Each one of us has our own memorable, legendary tales of what we did as a teenager. The dreams we had for life, the struggles to fit into the society we entered after leaving school are very much part of those days. But clearly compared to life then, the life of a teen now is many magnitudes more complex. We did not have this 24 hour media, cell phones, computers, online gaming etc., the exposure to mindless violence that comes with technology, the distractions, the consumerism etc. The current generation of teens have to face this fast paced world, with the pull of consumerism, the distractions of social media, the decline in physical activity and the rise in sedentary lifestyles.

There are some interesting questions that arise regarding how teenagers now are navigating through this complex environment. How do they stay focused to get where they want to be? The explosion of media and consumerism in the world today is something unprecedented in human history and evolution. How does the teenage brain, not fully matured yet, handle the challenging emotional situations today?

What are the experiences of the teens today in coping with their environment? How is the present environment shaping the teenage brain and their decisions? How is this changing our societies for good or bad? The present environment has for one led to shorter attention spans. I’m sure we all notice this every so often. The exposure to aggression and violence in the media has led to desensitization and the rise in depression, suicide, violence and crime among teens.

I was a molecular biology, neuroscience major in undergrad and my fascination with brain development and thus personality development continues. Let us look at what Neuroscience has to say about the development of the teenage brain. We all remember doing some stupid things in our teen years that we can laugh at now. How good is the brain at this stage to understand what it sees and respond appropriately?Neuroscience research has shown that the growth spurt in brain occurs at two stages of life where the neurons in the brain are rapidly growing, making new synaptic connections, learning rapidly and laying down strong memories. The first growth stage is up to 6 years of age and the second occurs in the teenage years to early 20s.

What is the special aspect of development in the teenage brain? This is the time when neuronal access to the pre frontal and frontal cortex of the brain is expanding. When myelination i.e. insulation of the neurons, from the back of the brain to the front is increasing. This insulation is what helps in conducting signals faster. This is the reason why learning and memory are at peak at this age. The pre frontal and frontal cortex are the executive regions of the brain which gives us the capacity to control our impulsive behavior, make matured decisions.

At the cell level, learning requires excitation i.e. an action potential across the cell membrane. Developing a memory for a task requires what is called long term potentiation in the neurons. So there is lot of activity, excitation going on in the teen brain as they are exploring and learning new things.

Given that it is still under development Neuroscientists thru many experiments have concluded that the teen brain does not respond as the adult brain does to various situations in life. For example the impulsive behavior, poor judgment etc. Yes, we all know this from our life experiences. The same has been validated by neuroscience research.

Potential pitfalls for a teenager…the science behind the teenage brain

We all remember those days as a teen when we did not want to be told what to do or how to do, did not want to be cautioned at every step.  While that being a fact, research has found that Teen years are the most crucial time when people need the support of family and friends. As that is the time of change in hormonal composition as well as the time to face all the other challenges the society, environment imposes on the tender mind.

Given the increased plasticity of brain the teenagers have increased capacity to learn, absorb and form strong memories. The molecules in the childhood and teenage brain that serve excitation or activation lead to increased learning ability. With more learning and more use the synapses strengthen.The flip side of this brain plasticity is that it can become a problem for kids who end up in bad patterns of learning i.e. addiction. Development of addiction also works thru the excitation, activation pathways but in a different area of the brain i.e. the limbic system.

Research has shown that teenagers have a tendency to become addicted faster and have hard time to bounce back to normal. It has also been shown that the impressionable brain has more substrate or target material for substances such as alcohol, marijuana etc. Therefore the same amount of substance has a more toxic and longer lasting effect on the teen brain than on an adult brain.

These substances have a sedative effect i.e. the opposite of activation, excitation of neurons which is required for learning. So they directly impede learning and memory.

Research firmly supports what we have known from common sense that learning good things at an impressionable age will lead to good outcomes later in life and learning bad things will lead to bad outcomes.What kids are exposed to emotionally, to a great extent determines the course of their future. Be it the abuse at home, the learning and work environment, quality and quantity of media exposure, the peer pressure - to indulge in risky social behavior, consumption of substances.

It is well known that good sleep is essential for good learning and forming strong memories. But with the number of distractions from cellphones to computers to video games are teens these days getting enough sleep? A good REM sleep i.e. the deep sleep is essential to maintain a good affect, mood, ability to react and perform tasks appropriately.

The other big challenge from all the tech gadgets is that they have made our lifestyle less physical and more sedentary. The challenge is clear and staring us in the face. Rather than us accepting this as the as the culture today we could do our bit to try to help the teens maneuver thru this maze of complexity.

How do we guide our teens through this complex environment today, so they can plan and have a fulfilling future? I think the above Research findings can be used effectively to help teens stay focused on learning and to stay away from various addiction problems.

By Dr. Samathha Reddy