Scientists get clearer picture of developing teen brain: New evidence for neuroplasticity in frontal cortex during adolescence

In a paper published in Progress in Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine neuroscientists described compelling new evidence of a critical neuroplasticity period in the frontal brain region during adolescence, a time when major mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia emerge and risk-taking behavior peaks.

Using more than double the resolution of typical magnetic resonance imaging, researchers found age-related changes in the relative balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the prefrontal cortex — an area of the brain responsible for cognition, decision making, short-term memory and moderating social behavior. The study extends scientists’ understanding of the critical neuroplasticity during infancy by providing first-ever evidence of plasticity in the frontal cortex in adolescence.

“The prefrontal cortex is typically described as the ‘conductor of the brain,'” said senior author Beatriz Luna, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Pitt. “Instead of playing one specific instrument, it coordinates among multiple instruments and regions of the brain to determine complex function such as cognition or controlling emotions.”

“This paper provides biological evidence for what we have all suspected regarding adolescent behavior,” Luna added. “Adolescence is the time when cognition becomes specialized in supporting the transition to adulthood and determining lifetime brain development trajectories, which can be derailed such as in mental illness.”

Adolescence is a unique part of development that has puzzled researchers and parents alike for generations. This period of growth and development, characterized by heightened sensation-seeking, which is adaptive to gain new experiences needed to specialize the brain in adulthood, starts with the onset of puberty and generally levels out by the time individuals reach 18 years of age or slightly older.

Critical period brain plasticity is triggered by greater excitatory function in relation to inhibitory function, which signals that neural systems must reorganize to regain balance.

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