5 Key Facts About the Adolescent Brain You Need to Know

Part 1. There are plenty of beliefs (and myths) about adolescence but few of us really fully appreciate the complexity of the adolescent brain. The brain is changing rapidly--pruning, creating new neurons, and increasing the speed that neural impulses travel. Here, I address some of the myths of adolescence and then review five key facts about the adolescent brain. Brain developments during this period can make some adolescents especially susceptible to developing addictions and stress-causing depression. In the next video, I will talk more about how this still-developing brain gives rise to all those fascinating adolescent social behaviours.

0:00 Start
0:16 Five Myths
2:25 Definition of Adolescence
### Five Key Facts About the Adolescent Brain
3:14 Fact 1. Gray matter volume peaks in adolescence
5:24 Fact 2. White matter increases during adolescence.
6:27 Fact 3. Some neurogenesis during adolescence.
7:25 Fact 4. Neuroplasticity happens a lot during adolescence.
9:51 Fact 5. The frontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully mature

#teens #adolescence #psychology #psychologyfacts #neuroscience

✨ABOUT ME:
I received my Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I joined the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2007, where my research and teaching are focused on social neuroscience.

✨ WHERE TO FOLLOW ME:
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[socialneuro]

I wonder how many people will catch the little pointer to my dad? 🙂

[Btsarmy-rv]

Sir, I want to ask a question what is white matter

[mariomario]

Where should age of consent be accoridng to your view based on the science?. There have been newer studies that show this stress and addiction only occurs in a subset of the population and most dont have these. You also say 25 is "done maturing" but many studies show this is a myth and not true. You seem to be parroting the "teen brain" myth.