“This is really the first truly digital generation, and we have yet to see how much effect this has,” said Dr. Frances Jensen, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of “The Teenage Brain.”“We can get snapshots,” she added.
What we know is that the brain matures from back to front, a process that starts in infancy and continues into adulthood, Dr. Jensen explained.
And during adolescence, there is a particular flurry of activity in the middle part of the brain, which is associated with rewards and social feedback.
“Areas that have to do with peers, peer pressure, impulsivity and emotion are very, very, very active,” Dr. Jensen said.
(It’s “use it or lose it,” Dr. Jensen explained.)
Persons:
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Organizations:
University of Pennsylvania, American Psychological Association