Research done by pediatric neurologist Frances Jensen, because of her own experiences of her teenagers, led her to the following discoveries:

Teenage Brains Are Different to Adults:

It has to do with 'how' teens think. Jensen challenges the notion of the human brain being completely formed by the age 10. She says that the teen brain is not " just an adult brain with less miles on it". Her research has shown that the crucial part of the brain, the frontal lobes, are not fully connected with other parts of the brain. It's the part of the brain that asks the questions "Is this a good idea? What is the consequence of this action?". She says that the frontal lobes are accessed by the teen brain but slower than in the adult brain. She maintains that this is becaue the nerve cells that connect teenager's frontal lobes with the rest of their brains are sluggish - teens do not have as much of the fatty coating called myelin as adults in this area. Myelin allows for the free flow of nereve signals, insufficient myelin leads to inefficient communication between the parts of the brain. Recent studies have shown that neural insulation is not  complete until a person is in their mid-20's.

Jensen feels this explains why teens tend to be self centered - they are not yet at a place where they can have insight into the effects of their behaviour on other people. To read the article on which this insert was based please go to http://paradigmmalibu.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-teen-brain-its-just-not-g...