Brain Development Over the Course of a Lifetime

Jake Hughes
The Paw Print

How many times have you heard the saying “It’s time to start acting your age?” In this article by Claudia Wallis, the author discusses how the brain matures throughout its life cycle. One of the main focuses of the article is how the brain develops and how that relates to our actions. In addition, the article summarizes the different hormones we have and the relationship they have to our decisions.
In the article, Wallis tells us that a group of five typical young men will be part of a controlled experiment. This particular experiment has been conducted since 1991 and the goal is to determine how the brain develops throughout different life stages.
According to the article, we are born with the majority of our neurons but by the time we are six we have acquired 90%-95% of our neurons. The final development of the brain takes place in our late teens a study has supported.
The article proposes that the maturity of our brain can be related to our actions. Dr. Jay Giedd studied why changes in young children’s brain’s account for such radical emotional outbursts. The article states, when we hit puberty the body starts producing large amounts of hormones, in particular, estrogen and testosterone. In addition to these hormones other hormones are released at the same time, creating a cocktail of chemicals which result in radical behavioral swings. These behavioral changes are due to the fact that the hormones are present in limbic system, the part of the brain that controls emotion.
Furthermore, the article states that the reason why teens are supposed to be lazy is the fact the nucleus accumbens – the part of the brain that motivates us to seek – is still immature. All the hormones, emotional changes, and brain developments make young people act differently. The article suggests that we seek out environments and situations that feed our lust for adventure and experiences.
According to the text we are born with most of our neuronal connections and by the age of 6 we have almost all of our connections. The brain develops in two stages with the second and final one being crucial for mental process. This second wind of development happens in our teen years.
As stated in the article, the brain generally develops from back to front. The prefrontal cortex – which is located in the front of the brain – is reliable for suppressing impulses and weighting up consequences. This late development may lead young people to act out or become eccentric. Also, with the concoction of hormones and our undeveloped brains is it really that hard to believe that we act out?
The concept “use-it-or-lose it” is common concept that can be used outside of the field of psychology. The concept is pretty much self-explanatory, and in terms of applying it to our brains it is no different. If you’re not going to exercise your brain then certain parts are going to get a little out of shape or even die.
A recommendation to parents with young children or adolescents is to keep them active by pursing many different avenues, careers, and hobbies. In addition, parents could motivate their children to learning several languages and a number of musical instruments. Some parts of the brain react to the environment, so by traveling and experiencing new places that could also benefit the brain.

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