Teenage Brains

It seems as if every week, you can find a new theory offered by neuroscientists in the news. Today, I picked up the paper and read an article giving one reason why teenagers can act like complete jerks. Having been one and knowing that karma will ensure that my son is one, I was interested. I guess from the ages of 11-14 (those truly enjoyable middle-school years) brains begin the process of pruning themselves, cutting back on underused and less effectinve neural connections. Ian Campbell from UCal in Davis argues, "It seems certainly possible that normal adolescents who are experiencing these brain changes can react emotionally."

The article reminded me of another one that I read earlier in the year regarding sleep and teenagers. Apparently, melatonin levels in teenagers start rising between 10 and 11 p.m. and don't start falling until 8:00 am which can explain how difficult it is to wake teenagers in the morning. Schools have experimented with later start times and have noticed some changes.

Maybe I'll get lucky and science will have enabled me to make enough changes in the life of my littley so that I don't experience karmic payback with him.