Adolescent Neurodevelopment

Question 1

What is adolescence?

Answer 1

10-20 years old
Autonomy
Peer relations
Thrill-seeking
Self image
Risk Taking

Question 2

Why study adolescence?

Answer 2

More likely to harm ourselves
Increased accidental drownings
Convicted differently to adults
Clear distinctions, actions beyond control

Question 3

How can we study the adolescent brain?

Answer 3

MRI
fMRI
dMRI
Surface and volume based approaches

Question 4

Grey Matter Changes in the Brain

Answer 4

Starts to decrease from 10-15, starting at the visual/sensory cortices, extending across association networks into the PFC last.
Amygdala (fear conditioning) increases in GM volume
Caudate and nucleus accumbens (rewarding stimuli) decrease in GM

Question 5

Synaptogenesis

Answer 5

Mass overproduction of synapses during childhood

Question 6

Dendritic Arborisation

Answer 6

Dendrites spreading out

Question 7

Synaptic Pruning

Answer 7

About 14 yrs old- experience-driven plasticity causes stronger synapses that fire together
Reorganisation due to experience, which makes the brain more efficient

Question 8

Structure and Function of amygdala, VS and PFC

Answer 8

Increased amygdala volume linked to being more impulsive/emotional
VS and PFC become less activated due to less engaged when risk-taking

Question 9

White Matter Changes in the Brain

Answer 9

Increases with age, all the way through A into adulthood
Measures the myelination/axonal calibre in the brain’s communication areas
Reduction in GM could facilitate the increase in WM

Question 10

Dual Systems Model (Shulman 2015)

Answer 10

Asynchrony between the amygdala/nucleus accumbens and PFC

May facilitate the reduced ability to inhibit behaviours

Question 11

Traidic Model (Ernst 2014)

Answer 11

Social reorientation may be effected by change in any of these 3 areas: PFC, Amygdala & Striatum
PFC- regulation
Amygdala- Emotional intensity
Striatum- Cognitive impulsivity and risk taking

Question 12

Sexual Dismorphisms

Answer 12

Girls achieve peaks much earlier than boys such as GM volume as well as starting puberty.
Sexual dissociations in trajectories
Boys appear to reach peak in palladum earlier than girls- supporting idea that boys seek more sensation seeking behaviours.
WM never reaches a peak during A, but girls achieve asymptote boys