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The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

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TED Talk

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Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups? Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore compares the prefrontal cortex in adolescents to that of adults, to show us how typically “teenage” behavior is caused by the growing and developing brain.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, allow neuroscientists to examine the living human brain. How exactly does MRI technology work? Are there long-term impacts on the body?As described in the Talk, the adolescent human brain is undergoing significant change. This PBS article describes adolescent brains as "works in progress." In this slideshow, you can see the brain's changes throughout human life.An education blogger was so inspired by this TED Talk that he decided to interview Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. You can read the interview here.Still interested in the human brain? Watch the 8 fascinating videos in the TED talk playlist, "How does my brain work?" You can also see images of normal and diseased brains at the Whole Brain Atlas and get loads of information and pictures of all types of mammalian brains at the Brain Museum.

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  • Speaker Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

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