Introducing the brain: review of maturation (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, February 09, 2023, 15:49 (653 days ago) @ David Turell

Manly prefrontal cortex and connections to other areas:

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/why-the-human-brain-takes-decades-to-develop?utm_...

"Even after a young adult has finished growing, perhaps married or claimed independence by most social standards, their brain typically continues developing — until they reach their mid- to late 20s.

"Adolescence, in fact, spans from the age of 10 until at least age 24, according to some definitions.

"Interestingly, the actual volume and size of the brain typically reaches its full mass in early adolescence. But key regions and connections need more time and experience to gradually form and mature.

"Particularly the prefrontal cortex toward the front of the brain gets “remodeled” during adolescence, according to some brain experts. This thinking-center is responsible for judgements, reasoning and impulse control.

"Before that happens, younger adolescents tend to primarily navigate the world with the amygdala and limbic system, which develops earlier and is associated with emotional behavior and survival mechanisms such as fight-or-flight response.

"One neuroscientist, Sarah McKay, has described this as a sort of neurological “mismatch” in the developmental years. The adolescent period brings about “a significant neurological transition,” she said in blog post outlining key shifts that occur in the teenage brain.

"Namely, stronger connections gradually begin to form with the prefrontal cortex. Though, the exact timing and development process varies from person to person.

"This process explains why some childhood behaviors are often attributed to the still-developing brain. And that neurological reality correlates with societal age restrictions on things like drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and renting a car.

"Angela Griffin, a neuropsychologist at Southampton Children’s Hospital in the U.K., described the prefrontal cortex this way in a 2017 review in Healthcare: “One of the key goals of the pre-frontal cortex is to become skilled at reconciling internal emotional states with the demands of external reality.”

"Griffin’s review explains that during the teen years, brain connections between the hippocampus and frontal areas are strengthened, enabling youth to become gradually better at integrating memory and experience into their decision making.

***

"Incidentally, and surprising to many people, within a decade after fully developing, the human brain begins shrinking — often once a person reaches their 30s. And by the time they hit 60, the rate of shrinking has increased even more.

"Suffice to say, the brain develops and ages in dynamic ways that we are only beginning to grasp."

Comment: that our brain is so complex is the reason we are still learning about it.