When adults and teens look at faces showing different emotions, the part of their brains that light up are different. Scans of the brain can be done to show different parts lighting up when they are being used. Which part of their brain do teenagers use most of the time? Teens often 'think with their feelings'Įxperiments have been done to show that teens often 'think with their feelings'. It also leads to adult level decision making, planning and thinking. This process requires new connections to be formed between the cortical or higher level thinking and the emotional areas of the brain. The emotional areas of the brain (the limbic system) are present at birth, but regulation of emotions moves from being more of a shared responsibility (with parents) in childhood, to an individual responsibility in adolescence. The brain is thought to develop and connect functionally in stages. The cortexĬonnects up all the senses and thinking part, including the prefrontal cortex which is involved in fine judgement and control. The amygdala and hippocampusĬontrol emotion and memory. The cerebellumĬontrols and coordinates movement and other brain processes. The spinal cord and the base of the brainĭelivers messages to and from all parts of the body and controls what happens in the parts you don't have to consciously think about like the heart, lungs and digestion. Some people like to think of the brain in 4 parts. The blue colour shows all the connections happening between all the parts of the brain that are already formed. The following image shows that the brain doesn't change much in size between 5 and 20 years of age. Then MRI scanners were invented and they showed that the brain goes on changing for a long time after puberty has finished, and may not be complete until nearly 30 years of age. We used to think that once children had gone through puberty and growth had finished, development was complete. Brain development that continues after birth also helps us better adapt to our living environment and increases our chance of survival. If we were born with an adult-sized brain our heads would not fit through our mothers' hips. Human beings are the only animals that are born completely helpless, and we have the biggest size of adult brain. Why does the brain take so long to develop? Many things affect brain development including genetics, individual and environmental factors. The last part to mature is the prefrontal lobe. The different centres of the brain develop and become functionally connected over time. The brain develops very rapidly in the first 3 to 5 years of life, and all the structure and building blocks are present by the age of 9. they need clear, consistent boundaries, and very importantly, their growing capacity and ability to do things independently needs to be respected.teenagers respond better to rewards than to punishment.young people need adults to believe in them and encourage them.when you are talking to teenagers be careful to check what emotion they are seeing in you, and make sure you always acknowledge their emotions first and then help them to be able to think about what they are feeling.adults who talk to children as they are growing up really help.a safe environment where teenagers have consistent loving support is vital for the brain to develop well.Key points to remember about adolescent brain development