Question

what are the changes that occur in the brain as a result of puberty specifically in the: limbic system, pre-frontal cortex, amygdala, dopamine, and biorhythms?

Answer 1

Limbic system - The adolescent population is very susceptible to driving under the influence of alcohol and social maladjustments thanks to an immature visceral brain and prefrontal cortex. Particularly significant changes occur within the visceral brain , which can impact self-control, deciding , emotions, and risk-taking behaviors. Activity in the mesolimbic brain regions also showed changes between adolescence and adulthood during social cognition tasks.The limbic system is a group of structures located deep within the cerebrum. It is composed of the amygdala, the hippocampus, and therefore the hypothalamus. These brain regions are involved in the expression of emotions and motivation, which are related to survival. The emotions include fear, anger, and the fight or fight response. The limbic system is also involved in feelings of pleasure that reward behaviors related to species survival, such as eating and sex. In addition, the visceral brain regulates functions associated with memory storage and retrieval of events that invoke a robust emotional response. Neuroimaging studies have revealed that when interacting with others and making decisions, adolescents are more likely than adults to be swayed by their emotions. In addition, adolescents often read others’ emotions incorrectly. These studies involved comparing a teenager brain to an adult brain determined that adolescents’ prefrontal cortices are used less often during interpersonal interactions and deciding than their adult counterparts. In fact, adolescents relied more on the emotional region of their brains when reading others’ emotions, which is more impulsive as compared to a logical or measured interpretation. Thus, an understanding of how the limbic system and thus the prefrontal cortex are used has provided a partial explanation surely characteristics of adolescents and adolescent behaviors, such as quickness to anger, intense mood swings, and making decisions on the idea of “gut” feelings. Because adolescents rely heavily on the emotional regions of their brains, it are often challenging to form what adults consider logical and appropriate decisions. The apparent immaturity of the connections between the limbic system , prefrontal cortex, and thus the amygdala provides further support for this concept . The nucleus accumbens, a neighborhood of the brain’s reward system located within the visceral brain , is that the area that processes information associated with motivation and reward. For instance, adolescents are more susceptible to nicotine, alcohol, and other drug addictions because the limbic system regions that govern impulse and motivation aren't yet fully developed. During puberty, the increases in estrogen and testosterone bind receptors within the visceral brain , which not only stimulates drive , but also increases adolescents’ emotional volatility and impulsivity.