Psych 133A lecture week 2 - Brain Development during Adolscent

Structural Changes

Reduction in grey matter- synaptic pruning

 adolsdent brain development 

Represents grey matter, age 5 - 30 

Foundational work was done here at UCLA 

Grey matter = synapses refers to that 

Estimated how much grey matter through FMRI

Structural Changes

Increase in White Matter – Myelination

—> white matter = myelination 

Fatty sheath covers the axon of teh neuron 

We millinate the neuron 

• Developing fatty sheath , insiatin to support effiecdent processing. Faster connection 

Maturation occurs different stages of life 

Back to front 

C-shaped development 

Greater white matter on males because male brains are slighter larger than females 

Our brains due become bigger through adolescent 

Functional Changes

Enhanced Limbic Activation: Motivation & Reward

Ehanches activation in limic system , regions deep inside the brain assocaed with functions with motivation, emotions, respnf to the environment, the

Responsible for motivation and reward → good feeling we see when we win or chocolate 

Part of the limic system - the ventral striatum, responsible for rewards

During adolescence, higher dopamine levels in adolescents compared to others

They have receptors to dopamine 

A receptor will bind to a specific neurotransmitter to turn on or turn off. 

Pubaeral hormones play a role too in turning them on

Functional Changes

Galván Lab

Enhanced Limbic Activation: Motivation & Reward

Greater activation in ventral striatum in adoslolscents than children or adults 

EX wining money, sugar. Seeing someone attractive, tense to be mroe active during teen years 

Motivation , seek a solution to do things to get those rewards 

If you want that reward , you need to be motivated to do that. 

Enhanced , exploration and learning 

If you are getting older