(English) Scans reveal how teenage brain develops

A University of Cambridge team has identified the areas of the brain that change the most during the teenage years.

Brain scans showed that they are the areas associated with complex thought processes.

The scientists also discovered a link between teenage brain development and mental illness, such as schizophrenia.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

The team from Cambridge’s department of psychiatry scanned the brains of 300 people between the ages of 14 and 24.

While the areas associated with the basic functioning of the body such as vision, hearing and movement are fully developed by adolescence, the areas associated with complex thought and decision making are still changing.

These areas are nerve centres with lots of connections to and from other key areas.

You can think of the brain as a global airline network that’s made up of small infrequently used airports and huge hubs like Heathrow where there is very high traffic.

The brain uses a similar set up to co-ordinate our thoughts and actions.

During adolescence this network of big hubs are consolidated and strengthened. It’s a bit like how Heathrow or JFK have become gradually busier over the years.

The researchers then looked at the genes involved in the development of these brain “hubs” and found that they were similar to those associated with many mental illnesses, including schizophrenia.

The discovery is in line with the observation that many mental disorders develop during adolescence, according to researcher Dr Kirstie Whitaker.

“We have shown a pathway from the biology of cells in the area through to how people who are in their late teenage years might then have their first episode of psychosis,” she told the BBC.

Many studies have shown that, in addition to genetics, stress during childhood and the teenage years is linked to mental illness.

The new findings indicate that maltreatment, abuse and neglect may well continue to disrupt the development of the higher brain functions during the crucial teenage years and so contribute to the emergence of mental illness.