Adolescence is a time of "great risk taking and opportunity" because of changes that occur in brain development, according to Dr. Jay Giedd, writing in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Changes in the brain during the teen years affect cognition, emotion, and behavior.

Dr. Giedd's study is the result of the National Institute of Mental Health's Longitudinal Brain Imagining Project, begun in 1989. About 2,000 people are undergoing brain imagining scans every two years as well as neuropsychological and behavior assessments and DNA tests. The 387 subjects ages 3 to 27 are serving as models of brain development.

Gray matter in the human brain increases in volume until the early teens, and then decreases through old age. During adolescence, brain development is a refining process, with increased connectivity and integration of disparate functions, changing reward systems and frontal/limbic balance, Dr. Giedd writes. The brain's "executive functions" increase during adolescence. Executive functions might include the regulation of emotion, response inhibition, organization, long-range planning, and the ability to pay attention.

"The teen brain is not a broken or defective adult brain," Dr. Giedd said. However, the changes and the "enormous plasticity" of the adolescent brain may make teenagers more likely to take risks and seek new sensations and experiences.

Read more about how a teen's brain development is linked to drug use in this article: "Brain's Executive Control Function Linked to Substance Abuse in Teens"

Labels: brain_chemistry, development, substance_abuse

Mental disorders can be difficult to diagnose in teenagers. Because the adolescent years are already emotional and tumultuous, changes in personality, or extreme mood swings are considered typical teen "growing pains". But how can parents know for sure?

"[Dr. Kristin Cadenhead] urges parents to get their children evaluated by a mental health expert if they exhibit noticeable changes in thoughts, behavior or emotions... 'We don't want to alarm an individual or a family. More than 70 percent of young people who appear (to be in distress) will not necessarily develop a psychotic disorder,' she says. 'Our goal is to identify a psychotic illness before it fully starts, so we can intervene earlier and help prevent some of the devastating effects of the illness.'

"The key for parents is paying attention to changes in their children's moods and behaviors. If changes seem to be extreme, solicit the help of a professional. This may mean having the child evaluated, or may simply mean having a conversation with someone who can help you better understand your child.

A good residential treatment program, like Youth Care in Utah, can help diagnosis troubled teens and then create a treatment plan. Visit www.youthcare.com to learn more.

Labels: brain_chemistry, emotional_issues, mental_health

Scientists studying brain images of adolescents found that the brains of the most aggressive males have different levels of activity in certain brain centers compared to boys who show only normal aggression.

Scientists from the University of California in San Diego used functional magnetic brain imaging to study adolescent boys who are "reactively aggressively."

"These kids tend to overreact - they punch someone or kick a door, but afterwards, they regret it," said Dr. Guido Frank, one of the lead researchers.

When these boys looked at pictures of threatening faces, there was greater activity in their amygdala, the part of the brain linked to fear, and lower activity in their prefrontal cortexes, the part of the brain involved in reasoning and decision-making. Dr. Frank said that this might mean the boys are more likely to overreact with fear but less likely to use reason to control themselves. These images can only predict risk for violence and aggression, and so far, no one knows how to use such information.

This study was presented at a conference of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.

Private boarding schools for boys can be the best environment for boys acting out at home and school. Find one at www.schoolsforboys.com.

Labels: aggression, boys, brain_chemistry

Psychiatrist Candida Fink, MD, and Joe Kraynak, MA, have released a book titled Bipolar Disorder for Dummies (Wiley, 340 pages, $19.99). Developed as a practical guide to understanding, treating and living with bipolar disorder, the book offers an explanation of the brain chemistry that causes the disease, and discusses the latest medications and therapies available.

"It offers sound advice and self-help techniques that you and your loved ones can use to ease and eliminate symptoms, function in times of crisis, plan ahead for manic or depressive episodes and feel better. Topics covered include: diagnosis and treatment, selecting a mental health specialist, mood charting, managing employment-related issues, and how bipolar disorder affects children."

The sound advice and techniques offered in Bipolar for Dummies can help families navigate this often unpredictable disease, and help them do it together - rather than letting the disease tear them apart.

Learn about Bipolar Disorder in Girls.

Labels: bipolar, brain_chemistry, girls