What goes on in a teenager’s brain?
Moody? Risk-taking? Scientists are beginning to understand better the remarkable changes that go on in the teenage brain. Previously it was thought that your brain went through most of its development by the age of 2. In fact, the brain undergoes many changes during adolescence. For example, as teens mature, their ability to recognise emotions improves. Brain imaging has shown they begin to use different regions of their brains, including areas linked with fear and ‘gut’ reactions and parts linked with more reasoned perception, to make these decisions.