Objectives
• To challenge some of the myths we hold
about the teenage brain
• To learn about how the teenage brain
processes information
• To understand why the teenage brain
processes differently from other brains
• To discuss strategies to offset
What do I know about my brain?
Answer True or False
1. The brain is largely a finished product by age 12.
2. During adolescence, the brain is becoming more
efficient, but it is also losing some of its potential
for learning.
3. The teen brain is like an adult brain, but with less
experience.
4. Hormonal changes are the primary reason for
teens’ emotional outbursts.
5. Teens engage in risky behavior because they
don’t understand the consequences.
6. We notice depression and mental illnesses
more during the teen years because teens
have more feelings.
7. The teen brain is much better at multitasking
than the adult brain.
8. The average teen needs more than 9 hours of
sleep every night.
9. The reason teens struggle to get up in the
morning is because they don’t go to bed until
late at night.
10. The teen brain should stop every 15 minutes to
process new information.
How are teen brains
different?
Neural Pruning
• Starts in the womb when neurons over
populate
• 1st round of neural pruning ends around
age 3
• Between 6-12 neurons grow bushy
• At 11-12, connections start pruning
• Over half by age 15
• “Neural Darwinism”
Use it or lose it!
Stop
• List what you do in a day.
• Create a pie chart.
• Divide up sleeping, reading, writing,
studying, playing an instrument,
playing a sport, listening to music,
working, TV, movies and video games.
• How are you wired?
What fires together wires
together.
What’s happening with my
emotions?
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During puberty, hormones are released
Impacts serotonin and dopamine levels
Information is processed differently
Rely on amygdala rather than frontal lobes
React, don’t process
An appetite for thrills
Fewer frontal lobe functions
-reasoning, motivation, planning,
goal setting…
Too much emotion…
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Produces adrenaline
Gut reaction
Energy is re-directed—fight or flight
Difficult to think and remember
Produces cortisol-stress hormone
Brain can not differentiate between
emotional and physical danger
What emotion is this woman
expressing?
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100 % of adults identified fear.
Fewer than 50% teens saw fear
Teens saw anger, confusion, or shock
Teens often see hostility where there is
none
• Teens read visual cues differently
• Boys were more impulsive
The teen brain responds
differently to the outside world.
Teens used less of the prefrontal region
while more emotional regions were
activated
Studies by Yurgelun-Todd, Director of
Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroimaging,
Belmont, Mass.
Stop!
Write a 1 to 2 sentence summary of what
you’ve learned. Use any 4 of these 6 words:
adolescent
dendrite
neural pruning
dopamine
amygdala
frontal lobe
Share with your neighbor
During adolescence mental
illness can surface…
• In the 10th grade, 64% of boys and 89% of
girls report being concerned about a friend
who is depressed.
• Higher percentage teens used drugs and
alcohol- irregular Dopamine levels
• Schizophrenia & Bipolar
Disorder is thought to be
triggered-15% vs 25%
Teens Lead All Age Groups
With Cases of Depression
Dumb Decisions!
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Risk assessment studies
When will you run a yellow light?
Teens, when alone, reacted as adults
Teens, when with peers, showed risky
behavior
• Immature nucleus accumbens-motivation
• Prone to engaging in behaviors with either
high excitement or low effort factor
• Emphasize immediate payoff!
We need our sleep...
• Our brains review and sort material
while sleeping
• Information is stored and discarded
• Rats reconstructed their days in their dreams
• Studies have shown sleepers perform better
• Teens need 9.25 hours of sleep; most get 7.5
• Teens Melatonin levels differ
How does the teen brain learn
best?
• Scientists saw more activity in the
Cerebellum—physical coordination
• Use movement
• Use emotion
• Take brain breaks
• 20 minute maximum attention span
• Review 10, 24 and 7
• Pause, reflect, discuss, connect…
What do I know about my brain?
Answer True or False
1. The brain is largely a finished product by age 12.
2. During adolescence, the brain is becoming more
efficient, but it is also losing some of its potential
for learning.
3. The teen brain responds to stimuli differently than
the adult brain.
4. Hormonal changes are responsible for teens’
emotional outbursts.
5. Teens engage in risky behavior because they
don’t understand the consequences.
6. We notice depression and mental illnesses
more during the teen years because teens
have more feelings.
7. The teen brain’s reaction to input is similar to
the reaction of the adult brain.
8. The average teen needs more than 9 hours of
sleep every night.
9. The reason teens struggle to get up in the
morning is because they don’t go to bed until
late at night.
10. The teen brain should stop every 15 minutes to
process new information.