The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults
provides a realistic summary of the problems teenagers face when transitioning from children to adults. Teens do not have many connections to the frontal cortex and have difficulty inhibiting ill advised behavior. After reviewing the cognitive minefield these adolescence have to navigate it is amazing that any of them make it to adulthood. Dr. Jensen tells the stories of many young people who's lives were cut short via bad decisions, poor genetics, or substance abuse Based on the latest clinical research, teenagers and pharmo active chemicals do not go together well. Cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs all have much more long lasting negative affects on the adolescent brain. The chemicals can temporarily and with repeated use permanently impair the ability of the hippocampus to convert short term memories to long term memories. This explains why individuals who consume alcohol may black out or have difficulty remembering what they did while inebriated.
Dr. Jensen recommends being very involved with your children. The keys to success are repetition of advice, highlighting news articles about tragic events, and promptly seeking medical or psychiatric help early. She offers up the behavioral changes that signal something is wrong. These behaviors are similar to those exhibited by a normal teenager but the amplitude or volume is turned up when there is a problem.
Dr. Jensen: The Teenage Brain - 7 minutes
Health Bridge the Teenage Brain - 32 minutes
Adolescent Brain - 3 min.
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