Adolescent Brain Development & Executive Functioning

Link to article: file:///Users/matt/Downloads/Blakemore_et_al-2006-Journal_of_Child_Psychology_and_Psychiatry.pdf This article focuses on the advent of fMRI technology and its contributions to the advancement of this relatively new method of study.  Previously, adolescent brain development was only able to be studied by way of animal testing and observing dead bodies.  fMRI has been around long enough now that the same subjects, in large quantity, have been tracked for over 20 years, providing us with a more cohesive picture of brain development throughout various stages of growth (childhood, adolescence, adulthood). This article, like others, makes a strong case for integrating more of our recent findings on adolescent development into our legal system.  Our legal system tends to want to to make an oversimplified, liner means of discipline when dealing with adolescents, whereas fMRI studying is hi lighting sophisticated, nuanced variance in adolescent behavior that are highly se

Link To Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2475802/pdf/nihms56148.pdf This was an incredibly detailed article on the neurology of adolescence as compared to the neurology of childhood and adulthood.  This study suggests that there are certain changes that take place during adolescence that are nonlinear with childhood development.  The author also attempts to clarify the importance of factoring in individuality and context into the decision making processes of adolescents, in that while most adolescents engage in impulsive and risky behavior, that there will be differing levels of each depending on the individual's neurological constitution, as well as the context of the decision. A further clarification that is made is that while the terms "risky" and "impulsive" are generally lumped into the same category when describing potentially harmful adolescent behavior, that they actually require distinct neurological processes that can be stu

Link to article: http://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/parenting-issues/the-teenage-brain-under-construction The article starts by stating that the brain begins to undergo massive change and growth at the onset of adolescence between 11 and 13 years of age.  This period of growth usually occurs all the way until the brain's full development at around 24-25 years old.  During this period of change, many thousands of neural pathways are being formed and refined through a process called pruning.  During the pruning process, neurons that do not get enough nutrition or are not being used simply die off.  The pruning process slows the process of acquiring new skills.  The article then goes on to get more specific with some of the chemicals that are at highly involved in changing the brain.  First on the list are the main hormones testosterone and estrogen, followed by 4 neurotransmitters, oxytocin, serotonin, vasopressin, and dopamine.  Dopamine in particular s