Developmental Issues
BRAIN RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES FOR
ADOLESCENTS IN JUVENILE
DRUG COURT
Joe Lunievicz, BA RYT, Director TI at NDRI
www.ndri.org
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“No matter how articulate the practitioner may be, the
words may not be comprehended if the speaker lacks
understanding of the effects of drug use on
adolescent cognitive development and the individual’s
ability to comprehend the court proceedings in which
he/she is involved, to comply with court orders and
conditions of release, and most important, to be
motivated to change his/her behavior over the long
term.”
Cooper, Adolescent Drug Users, 2008
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Adolescent Brain Development
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What the Research tells us based on MRI research
begun in the 1990s
 Adolescent
Brains are under construction
 Development continues through the mid twenties.
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A. Rae Simpson, The MIT Young Adult Development Project
Mentor Foundation, University of Minnesota
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What We’ll Cover:
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Developmental changes
Brain changes
Influences on Development
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“Adolescence is the period of physical and
psychological development from the onset of
puberty to maturity.”
American Heritage Dictionary
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Developmental Stages of
Adolescence
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Early (12-14)
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Middle (15-17)
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Late (18-25)
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Major Developmental Shifts
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Adolescence
 (Early
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Young Adulthood
 (Late
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and Middle teens)
teens and early twenties)
Later Adulthood
 (Mid-twenties
and after)
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Key Factor
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Adolescence is a period of profound brain
maturation.
Old belief that development was completed by
adolescence…
Development finishes around 25-6.
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Adolescence
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Abstract Thinking
Increased intensity of emotion
Increased sensation-seeking
Sensitivity to alcohol & other drugs
Changes in sleep cycle
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Limitations
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Right & wrong thinking
Instrumental focus
Emotional regulation
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16-17 years old
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More likely than adults to be
 Impulsive
 Aggressive
 Emotionally
volatile
 Likely to take risks
 Reactive to stress
 Vulnerable to peer pressure
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Young Adulthood
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Greater complexity of thinking
Critical thinking
More integration of cognitive & emotional
Relationships based on shared values, mutuality
Respect for diversity
Modified risk taking
Decision based on future consequences & impact on
others
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Limitations
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Abstract principles
Following vs. shaping rules and roles
External vs. internal basis for decisions
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Later Adulthood
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Greater complexity of thinking
Shaping vs. following rules and roles
Solving ill-structured problems
Big picture thinking
Self-correction, self-evaluation
Internalized commitment of relationships and work
Evaluation of external expectations
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Source: Tapert & Schweinsburg, 2005
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Rate of Change
Brain Development
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Source: Tapert & Schweinsburg, 2005
Brain Development
Maturation Occurs from Back to Front
of the Brain
Images of Brain Development in
Healthy Youth (Ages 5 20)
Blue represents maturing of brain
areas
Source: Gogtay, Giedd, et al., 2004.
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Copyright © 2004 The National Academy of Sciences, USA
Gogtay, N., Giedd, J.N., et al. (2004)
Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101 (21), 8174 8179
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Brain Changes
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Adolescence
Young Adulthood
Later Adulthood
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Brain changes in Adolescents
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Prefontal Cortex
 Myelination:
adding
white matter
 Synaptic Pruning:
decreasing number
of connections
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Connections
among regions
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Executive Suite
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Calibration of risk &
reward
Problem-solving
Prioritizing
Thinking ahead
Self-evaluation
Long-term planning
Regulation of
emotions
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Caveats
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Not automatic
Roles for both nature and nurture
Periods of equilibrium
Intermediate steps
Uneven across areas
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Developmental Range
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Optimal spurts
Functional gradual
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Nature vs. Nurture
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Developmental stage and vulnerability to
environmental influences
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Influences on Level of Functioning
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Emotional arousal: cold cognition vs. hot cognition
Alert vs. Sleepy
Familiarity of context
Familiarity of content
Practice
Support
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Individual & cultural Variation
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Age, education, gender
Abuse, neglect, trauma
Race, ethnicity, sexual identity
Temperament
Family background, parenting style
Illness
Learning disabilities
Substance abuse
Ares of concentrated interest
Cultural background
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Implications of Arrested Development
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Preference for physical activity over activities that
require complex thinking.
Less than optimal planning and judgment
More risky, impulsive behaviours
Minimal consideration of negative consequences
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Drugs and the Brain
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Impact on the brain’s reward circuit (limbic system)
Pleasure = release dopamine
Drugs hijack the system and release more over a
longer period of time.
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Alcohol
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Adolescents with a history of alcohol use disorder
may show deficits in short-term memory
 10%
less memory on short term verbal and non-verbal
tasks
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Hippocampus encodes new information into memory
 Adolescents
with history of alcohol abuse have smaller
hippocampus volume
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Most vulnerable parts of the brain associated with
memory, attention, sleep, coordination and
judgment.
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Marijuana and THC
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Hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia,
cerebralcortex
 Interferes
with learning and memory
 Impacts on ability to study, learn new things, recalling
recent events (short term memory)
 Long term impact
 inability
to do complex tasks
 Increased risk of psychosis
 Increased of depression and anxiety
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Positives Influences
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Challenging Old thinking
 Faculty
and other adult interactions
 Diversity of peers
 Interdisciiplinary and intebratiove apporaches
 Out of classroom experience
 Instruction in cognitive skills, eg critical thinking
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Positive Influences
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Providing support for growth
 Matching
level of challenge with ability
 Scaffolding, balance of structure and flexibility
 Safety net, monitoring
 Tincture of time
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Three Tiers of Influence
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Support optimal functioning
Foster growth toward next steps
Set the stage for ongoing development
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