Teens' Brains Key To Their Impulsiveness

Scientists: Young Minds Are Like Cars With Good Accelerators But Weak Brakes

(AP)  It's one thing to say teens don't control their impulses as well as adults, but another to show that they can't, he said. As for peer pressure, the new brain research "gives credence to the idea that this isn't a choice that kids are making to give in to their friends, that biologically, they're more vulnerable to that," he said.

Consider the lobes at the front of the brain. The nerve circuitry here ties together inputs from other parts of the brain, said Dr. Jay Giedd of the National Institute of Mental Health.

This circuitry weighs how much priority to give incoming messages like "Do this now" versus "Wait! What about the consequences?" In short, the frontal lobes are key for making good decisions and controlling impulses.

Brain scans show that the frontal lobes don't mature until age 25, and their connections to other parts of the brain continue to improve to at least that age, Giedd said.

The inexplicable behavior and poor judgments teens are known for almost always happen when teens are feeling high emotion or intense peer pressure, conditions that overwhelm the still-maturing circuitry in the front part of brain, Giedd said.

As Steinberg sees it, a teenager's brain has a well-developed accelerator but only a partly developed brake.

By around 15 or 16, the parts of the brain that arouse a teen emotionally and make him pay attention to peer pressure and the rewards of action - the gas pedal - are probably all set. But the parts related to controlling impulses, long-term thinking and resistance to peer pressure - the brake, mostly in the frontal lobes - are still developing.

"It's not like we go from becoming all accelerator to all brake," Steinberg said. "It's that we go from being heavy-foot-on-the-accelerator to being better able to manage the whole car."

Giedd emphasized that scientists can't yet scan an individual's brain and draw conclusions about his maturity. Brain scans do show group differences between adult and teen brains, he said, "but whether or not that should matter (in the courtroom) is the part that needs to be decided more by the judicial system than the neuroscientist."

In any case, experts say, there's nothing particularly magic about the age 18 as a standard dividing line between juveniles and adults in the courtroom. Steinberg noted different mental capabilities mature at different rates, but added it appears age 18 is good enough to be justified scientifically.

Steinberg said he thinks courts should be able to punish some 16- or 17-year-olds as adults - generally repeat violent offenders who've resisted rehabilitation and could endanger other youth in the juvenile system. "I don't think there are a lot of these kids," he said.

For the rest, he thinks it makes sense to try rehabilitating young offenders in the juvenile justice system.

Ash said that to decide whom to treat as an adult, courts need some kind of guideline that combines the defendant's age with the crime he's accused of. That should leave room for individual assessments, he said.

Most experts also conclude that rehabilitation works better for juveniles than for adult offenders. And just as parents know how irrational juveniles can be, Ash said, they also know that rehabilitation is a key goal in punishing them.

"What we really want," he said, "is to turn delinquent kids into good adults."

[aheadofcrowd]

Look at this example to give you some reality on this:

If you go through your emails and see one from your boss, you may have a certain hemisphere of your brain go into action but the next email you read is a joke from a friend and now, other parts of your brain are moving chemicals around and a scan would show activity in possibly many parts of the brain.
And the next is from a love interest and a scan would show something else at that moment.

What I''m trying to explain in this example is that the MIND and emotion is what''s important, not the brain. You can think a million things all of which will cause constant shifts in brain activity. Brain activity is not a constant. It is forever changing with each moment and each thought and each emotion.

There is a medical condition called hydrocephalus, where people literally have almost no brain matter and function just as anyone else on the street. What do all the brain studies say about them?
http://www.mysteriousuniverse.org/?p=694

There are definitely certain brain disorders such as Alzheimer''s and autism,
but psychiatrists and drug companies are tying to sell brain drugs intended to "treat" undesirable thoughts, emotion, bad decisions, socially unacceptable behaviors and bad habits. This article is little more than a press release by a drug company ready to sell some new brain drugs.

Take a look at this site to see what brain drugs have done to people.

http://www.ssristories.com/index.php

[greeneyes222]

"state lawmakers consider scaling back punitive juvenile justice laws passed during the 1990s."

Scaling back justice is the last thing that should happen. The victims of juveniles are still victims, and the punishment should fit the crime.

Of course teenagers are impulsive, no one needed a study to prove that. But children are capable of learning right from wrong from an early age, that is one of the many jobs of parents and society. This study is scientifically interesting in that it explains what we already know, but using it as a basis to change the justice system is absolutely the wrong message to send.

[grammawhamma]

I raised 4 daughters to adulthood. Teens are their own breed but please...if they don''t know that commiting a crime is wrong by age 16 there is a big problem. My 4 year old grandchild even knows when she did something wrong.

Stop pampering your kids at this age...instead teach them responsibilty and respect for others and cut the apron strings!!

[bbrundj]

And to think, teenagers are allowed to drive at 16...with teenage passengers.

[rfrankmoore]

This is pure bs. There is no excuse for not getting it right.

[edward1975-2009]

MylDonCBS: These kids know right from wrong. And to make the excuse they don''t is hogwash. Do you not realize that gangs have figured out that if they use a juvenile to shoot people, the kid does limited time for this. Anytime you lower the bar because of perceived differences, you fail the individuals your trying to help. If anything make it tougher and maybe, just maybe, you''ll save future lives.

[myidoncbs]

aheadofthecrowd makes the typical authoritarian error when he/she says, "Repairing self-respect and getting these kids to take responsibility for their actions is what we need to do to help them."

There''s nothing wrong with trying to teach kids respect and responsibility, but here''s a question for you: If their brains don''t work properly, how are you going to "teach" them these things that they are physically unable to learn? If their brain doesn''t have the wiring for impulse control, what good is your "teaching" going to do? None!

Children are NOT adults. It is IN.SANE to pretend that they are. If a child commits an "adult crime", that does NOT make him/her an adult. To treat them as adults is to demand the impossible from them. To demand the impossible of our children is not only cruel, it is an indication of in.san.ity on the part of the adults who make the unreasonable demand.

I''m NOT saying we should let kids get away with anything they like. That would be stu.pid! But we need to recognize that they are different, and we have to treat them appropriately.

aheadofthecrowd jumps to the unwarranted conclusion that this article is part of a conspiracy to sell drugs to "cure" a "new disease" someday in the future. I suppose that could be true, but he has NO EVIDENCE that it is so. OTOH, what the article says about brain development IS true. So we should think about what might be a good way to deal with the facts, rather than speculate about some imagined conspiracy.

[edward1975-2009]

staycalm: Being the father of 4 boys I can sympathize with you, but at 18 , if he doesn''t have a clue, start now. Granted males mature later than females, but by now he should have an idea about which way is up. And as a parent I would love for lawmakers to change laws like, your child can withdraw from school without parental permission and he doesn''t reach his majority till 21, but these are the times we live in.

[baptox]

I think this research is very relevant. The influence of peer pressure seems to be particularly relevant to our world today, as our American attitude of over-consumption and materialism are exported to other countries.
This is one example of where religious teachings and education used to counter balance the negative aspects of culture and help young people forge values of resistence to unhealthy behaviors.

[staycalm]

We made a big mistake lowering the age of adulthood to 18 from 21. As the parent of a soon-to-be 18 year-old, I can testify that I am nearer to being Marilyn Monroe than he is to being an adult. Throughout history, 21 has been the age of majority and for good reasons that we are only now beginning to prove scientifically. I would like to see this country return the age of adulthood to 21.

[aheadofcrowd]

Don''t buy the lies in this article from those who are constantly laying blame on the brain for everything.

The article is a marketing strategy which is intended to raise our "awareness" about some new "disease" which the drug companies just-so-happen to have a miracle addictive and dangerous pill for.

There is this thing called decision. Everyone''s done bad things. Some people more than others. Sometimes these bad decisions become habit and are done just out of boredom. A lack of self-respect also makes it easier for some to make the wrong decisions. Repairing self-respect and getting these kids to take responsibility for their actions is what we need to do to help them. Not give another drug which will no doubt cause irreparable harm.

HTTP://WWW.ADHDFRAUD.ORG

[aheadofcrowd]

Don''t buy the lies in this article who are constantly blaming the brain for everything.

This is a prep article which is intended to raise our "awareness" about some new "disease" which the drug companies just-so-happen to have a miracle addictive and dangerous pill for.

There is this thing called decision. Everyone''s done bad things. Some people more than others. Sometimes these bad decisions become habit and are done just out of boredom. A lack of self-respect also makes it easier for some to make the wrong decisions. Repairing self-respect and getting these kids to take responsibility for their actions is what we need to do to help them. Not give another drug which will no doubt cause irreparable harm.

HTTP://WWW.ADHDFRAUD.ORG

[shanev137]

gee...i could have told you that.

[edward1975-2009]

rockingbee: Maybe a nudge towards independence and fending for himself would move him towards understanding longterm goals. There comes a time when it''s time to leave the nest and experience life. And at 21, if not in school, should be halfway out the door with a kiss firmly planted on his cheek. Cut the cord before you have a 35 yr. old under-employed, mom please do my laundry and make me dinner dependent.

[rockingbee]

I found this article very interesting. I have 21-year-old son who is very bright but seems incredibly immature and irresponsible -- not in a dangerous way -- just really not yet taking charge of his life and in touch with what he needs to do to take care of himself and support himself. He seems to be out of touch with the longterm picture and a real understanding of what it takes to get by in life. This article gives me hope that in time he will grow up and use his talents for more than playing videogames and working at a job that could be handled by the average 16-year-old.

[edward1975-2009]

The part of the mind in males that has to do with decision making doesn''t mature until around 23, but at the age of 5 humans have the ability to determine right from wrong. So it is , so it shall be. People quit looking for reasons for bad behavior. Excuses are what''s wrong, no accountability.

[flagship-usa]

Agreed rohink:
Do we need experts telling us how to think, or worst yet: Thinking for us.

Since when has expert opinion, replaced common sense.
I also believe, 24, 25, 26, is the real age of maturity.

Hell, sometimes I think the adults are worst than the adolescents. But this is not the basis of this report?

[michellem99-2009]

It is a fact. We were all young and at that age group. I rememer my teen years. The brain need time to grow up. I often felt adulthood should be 25 and older. I feel that way as the young are not able to handle many things until older.

[cyberus-2009]

Youth impulsiveness IMHO is directly related to the level of consequences of their actions.
30 years ago when I first got my drivers license the impulse to go booze cruising with some friends was countered by the severe a** whooping that would have resulted upon being caught. Today a parent that administered said a** whooping would spend more time in jail than the 16yr old caught booze cruising.

[hypnotoad72]

Maybe that explains the folks running Enron and other companies, *** hard working, moral people? They all look like 50-somethings but surely must be Generation-Y folks in reality?

In other words, one can be a proper teen and end up garbage as an adult or vice-versa. Still, I won''t deny today''s youth have far more problems than even the executives who choose to connive.