Author: Shivek Narang

Selected as a Davidson Ambassador for my community service project Our Teen Brains

My project is very specifically, on the teenage brain. Adolescence is a time of significant growth and development inside the teenage brain. Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers rely on amygdala (center for emotions) to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do. While the prefrontal cortex (area for planning, decision making and moderating social behavior) is still not fully developed, teenagers undergo major changes in their limbic system (the area of the brain that controls emotions). Doctors now believe that this difference in timing of development of the prefrontal cortex causes the risk-taking and impulsive behaviors which are rather common among teenagers. Teenagers tend to make decisions based on their emotions rather than logic…

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Featured in World Science Scholar Newsletter

My project is very specifically, on the teenage brain. Adolescence is a time of significant growth and development inside the teenage brain. Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers rely on amygdala (center for emotions) to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do. While the prefrontal cortex (area for planning, decision making and moderating social behavior) is still not fully developed, teenagers undergo major changes in their limbic system (the area of the brain that controls emotions). Doctors now believe that this difference in timing of development of the prefrontal cortex causes the risk-taking and impulsive behaviors which are rather common among teenagers. Teenagers tend to make decisions based on their emotions rather than logic…

Read More