Adolescent brain development and implications for mental health

Abstract

Adolescence is a phase of many brain changes. Advances in brain imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have increased our knowledge about the changes in structure of the brain around this time, and functional MRI has improved our understanding of brain activity and the connections between different parts of the nervous system. Structural and functional developmental changes in adolescence are linked to behavioural, cognitive and emotional changes in adolescence. These interact with psychological and social factors to affect a young person’s social functioning and mental state. For example, we now know that synaptic pruning and white ma..