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Navigating the Teen Years: Travel Inside the Adolescent Brain. Ken Winters, Ph.D. Department of Psychiatry University of Minnesota winte001@umn.edu Drug Free Communities – Waukesha County Waukesha, WI September 26, 2013. Teen Brain Development. Resources & Summary. Brain development
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Navigating the Teen Years:Travel Inside the Adolescent Brain Ken Winters, Ph.D. Department of Psychiatry University of Minnesota winte001@umn.edu Drug Free Communities – Waukesha County Waukesha, WI September 26, 2013
Teen • Brain Development • Resources & • Summary • Brain development • and early drug use • Keys to • Parenting
Teen • Brain Development
Adolescence is a period of profound brain maturation. • We thought brain development was complete by adolescence • We now know… maturation is not complete until about age 25!!!
Important ages of majority and privileges 16 - emancipation - driving 18 - gambling (usually age 21 when alcohol served) - smoking (some at age 19 - military 21 -drinking
Maturation Occurs from Back to Front of the Brain Images of Brain Development in Healthy Youth (Ages 5 – 20) Blue represents maturing of brain areas Source: PHAS USA 2004 May 25; 101(21): 8174-8179. Epub 2004 May 17.
Volume Adolescence Metabolism Myelination Blood Flow Receptors Synaptic Refinement Brain Development RATE OF CHANGE 7 1 2 16 30 Post-birth Age Prenatal Tapert & Schweinsburg (2005)
Implications of Brain Development for Adolescent Behavior • Preference for …. • physical activity • high excitement and rewarding activities • activities with peers that trigger high intensity/arousal • novelty • Less than optimal.. • control of emotional arousal • consideration of negative conseq. • Greater tendency to… • be attentive to social information • take risks and show impulsiveness
Implications of Brain Development for Adolescent Behavior reward incentives > perception of consequences
Teen • Brain Development • Brain development • and early drug use
The teen brain may be more sensitive to the acute effects of drugs on the dopamine system
Prevalence of Past-Year DSM-IV Alcohol Dependence: United States, 2001-2002(Grant, B.F., et al., Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 74, 223-234, 2004) %
Hippocampus Encodes new info Left smaller in AUD teens (p<.01) But no relationship with cognitive functioning (due to less severe alcohol group than Brown et al. sample?) hippocampus MRI: Hippocampal Size 10% smaller volume Nagel, Schweinsburg, Pham, & Tapert, 2005
Prevalence of Past Year Serious Mental Illness Among Lifetime Marijuana Users Aged 18+(SAMHSA, 2005; data collected 2002-2003) percentages age of marijuana onset
Significant drop in IQ for early and chronic users Meier et al., 2012; PNAS
Allstate ad, NY Times, May, 2007
Driving a car with a distracted and inexperienced teenager behind the wheel
Impact of Peer Presence onRisky Driving in Simulated Context peer effect Chein et al., in press
Teen • Brain Development • Brain development • and early drug use • Keys to • Parenting
Striking the RightBalance • MONITORING • + - • + • SUPPORT • - < desired desired < desired worse
Effective Parenting Component #4: Monitoring and Supervision
Key Protective Factors that Improve the Likelihood of a Drug-Free Child • Many opportunities for conventional involvement, positive family involvement • Good impulse control • Follows rules and avoids delinquent peers • Negative attitudes toward drugs • Low availability of drugs • High commitment to school • High perceived risk of drug use • Rewarded for involvement in conventional activities • Family attitudes do not favor drug use • Family is close
Which ones are the easiest for a parent to influence? Toughest? • Many opportunities for conventional involvement, positive family involvement • Good impulse control • Follows rules and avoids delinquent peers • Negative attitudes toward drugs • Low availability of drugs • High commitment to school • High perceived risk of drug use • Rewarded for involvement in conventional activities • Family attitudes do not favor drug use • Family is close
Take Home for Parents Promote activities that capitalize on the strengths of the developing brain Assist your child with challenges that require planning Reinforce their seeking advice from you and other adults Encourage lifestyle that promotes healthy brain development Never underestimate drug effects on developing brain Tolerate “oops” behaviors common during the teens
Teen • Brain Development • Resources & • Summary • Brain development • and early drug use • Keys to • Parenting
2. The Partnership www.drugfree.org Helps parents prevent,intervene in and find treatment for drug and alcohol use by their children
Summary • Adolescence is an extended period of transition from reliance on adults to independence • Normal adolescence is characterized by…. • increase in conflicts with family members • desire to be with one’s friends • resistance to messages from authority • irritability • proclamations of sheer boredom • risk taking • reward incentive-biased decision making
Summary • The brain undergoes a considerable amount of development during the teen years. • The last area to mature is the prefrontal cortex region; involved in planning, decision making and impulse control. Gray Matter Maturation, Age 4-21 Gogtay et al., 2004
Summary Gray Matter Maturation, Age 4-21 Gogtay et al., 2004 reward incentives > perception of consequences