Daria Al-Khalidi

UWRT 1102- Section 027

The Young Adult Brain
How does the young adult brain work and
develop?

Young Adults brain function may be boosted by exercise

Source: Academic journals
Catharine Paddock states that a new study done on young adult women shows that
women who exercised regularly had higher oxygen levels in their brain. Oxygen
availability in the brain is vital for thinking, learning, memory, intelligence, and
language. The study also found that those who exercised performed better on cognitive
tests than those who exercised less. Paddock makes the conclusion that young adults
benefit more from regular exercise than adults. This study is contradictory to the previous
belief that adults improve their brain activity more from exercising than young adults.

The Adolescent Brain Why Teenagers Act and Think Differently

Source: ED informatics
Paul Thompson claims that for many years it was believed that brain development
was a straight-edged course. It was also believed that brains had stopped maturing by the
early teens; ceasing to be able to be further developed. However, ever since the discovery
of the MRI, a new outlook has been given on the young adult brain. Thompson claims
that now it is believed that crucial brain centers, such as the prefrontal cortex, dont fully
develop until the mid 20s. These frontal lobes are responsible for making use it or lose
it decisions. Thompson concludes that this is why teenagers are so impulsive: they dont
have a fully developed frontal lobe yet.

Possible brain damage in young adult binge-drinkers revealed in new study

Source: Science Daily

Dawn Fuller claims that a new University of Cincinnati is showing that drinking
among young adults can cause a lot of damage to their brain development. The study
showed the relationship between grey brain matter and binge drinking, showing that
binge drinking leads to increased grey brain matter. In a healthy brain Fuller states that
only white matter should be visible, not grey matter. Fuller acknowledges that most
teenagers spend their weekends drinking away, but she also suggests that this new study
could cause some shock. Fuller believes that maybe this study will bring about some
awareness, especially because its the first of its kind nationally.

How to Train the Aging Brain

Source: NY Times EDlife
Barbara Strauch reports that the trick to keep a good memory is held in the hands
of the brain development. Strauch claims the trick is finding ways to keep good brain
connections and grow more of them. Since most brain development and growth takes
time during the adolescent period, Strauch places on emphasis on the young adult brain.
The older one gets, the harder it is to train the aging brain. Strauch encourages
stretching the brian, by encouraging to do things ranging from learning languages or
even taking a different route to work.

Practicing music for only a few years in childhood helps improve the adult brain
Source: Northwestern University

Nina Kraus reports that new studies show that a little music training in childhood
can improve how the brain functions in adulthood when it comes to listening to sounds.
Kraus says that Northwestern University conducted the study to see what happens to
children who stop playing an instrument after a few years. Kraus said that compared to
peers without musical training, adults with at least one year of musical training as
children had more enhanced brain responses to complex sounds. This makes them better
at recognizing sounds in complex and noisy environments. Kraus hopes that this study
will encourage more parents to have their children participate in musical training.

Marijuana May Hurt the Developing Teen Brain

Source: PBS NPR
Patti Neighmond claims that the teenager brain has a large amount of
responsibility: It must transform from one of a child to an adult. She reports that during
teenage years, the brain is getting rid of connections it didnt really use during the
younger years. In a Duke University study they found that when they compared and
followed the IQs of 38 childhood marijuana users and nonusers, the people who used
marijuana lost an average of eight IQ points from childhood to adulthood. In contrast, the
nonsmokers lost no IQ points. Neighmond says she is worried if marijuana gets legalized
because the drugs will become even more readily available.