Drug abuse

Although teens often can think as logically as an adult, the process can be easily derailed by flaring emotions or other distractions.

"The reason that kids take chances when they drive is not because they're ignorant," said Temple University psychologist Laurence Steinberg.

"It's because other things undermine their better judgment." The synaptic growth spurt that occurs in puberty is similar to the ones that occur after birth, when the brain first begins to learn.

The early exposure to the outside world enables the brain to connect to the body, developing its capacity for processing sound, sight, smell, touch and taste, and to make sense of them.

Learning occurs only after excess synapses not stimulated by experience are eliminated, much like the pieces of marble that have to be chipped away to create a work of art.

Now scientists have found that a second wave of growth and pruning occurs in adolescence.

Synapses that are not incorporated into neural networks for memory, decision-making and emotional control are eliminated to make way for a leaner, more efficient brain.

This late blossoming of synapses, it is thought, provides the brain with a new capacity for learning and allows the brain to make the transition from childhood to adulthood.

For frazzled parents, the findings may provide new understanding and patience as their teens navigate this increasingly rough passage.

Science is finally beginning to see what's going on in the teen mind.

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