Department of Health and Human Services - www.hhs.gov
Department of Health and Human Services - www.hhs.gov
healthfinder.gov - A Service of the National Health Information Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

 

healthfinder.gov Home   |   About Us   |   News   |   Health Library   |   Consumer Guides   |   Organizations   |   En Español   |   Kids   |   Contact Us

Teenage Brain: A Work in Progress

Internet URL

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/teenbrain.cfm  

Sponsoring Agency

National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health

Description

New imaging studies are revealing—for the first time—patterns of brain development that extend into the teenage years. Although scientists don't know yet what accounts for the observed changes, they may parallel a pruning process that occurs early in life that appears to follow the principle of use-it-or-lose-it:neural connections, or synapses, that get exercised are retained, while those that don't are lost.

Related Topics

Review Date

2/26/2007

healthfinder.gov logo USA dot Gov: The U.S. Government’s Official Web Portal
footer shadow