354,674 views
25 votes
25 votes
What happens to the prefrontal cortex in early adolescence.

User Vinod HC
by
3.1k points

1 Answer

23 votes
23 votes

Answer:

During adolescence, dopamine levels in the limbic system increase and input of dopamine to the prefrontal cortex increases. Later in adolescence, the brain's cognitive control centers in the prefrontal cortex develop, increasing adolescents' self-regulation and future orientation.

The prefrontal cortex undergoes considerable maturation during childhood, including a reduction of synaptic and neuronal density, a growth of dendrites, and an increase in white matter volume, thereby forming distributed neural networks appropriate for complex cognitive processing.

Basically, it grows and develops to allow for higher brain function

Step-by-step explanation:

User Frazras
by
2.9k points