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The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids

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"They'll grow out of it", said Granny. "Don't give up on them", says neuroscientist Jay Giedd. Between these two admonitions, Barbara Strauch vividly relates how old ideas of brain development have been overthrown by recent research. Her judgement of "recent" is expressed with the dismissive comment that any source found prior to 1996 was "too old". She thus adds another brick to the edifice being constructed in cognitive sciences. The studies have gone beyond research in human cognitive studies to include other primates - chimpanzees and monkeys in demonstrating the roots of human behaviour. These findings are providing a wealth of new insights into our evolutionary roots. Strauch has contributed much in our knowledge of who we are in the animal kingdom. Although the studies are new, and further research is necessary, Strauch explains the patterns that are emerging. Further work can only provide more enlightenment.

Although her research covers many fields and countless workers, the key source is Jay Giedd. Giedd was prompted by data showing how adolescent brains exhibited unexpected changes. "Gray matter", that term we so often blithely use to indicate the brain and mind, was expanding in teens. It actually grows beyond that of the average adult, then "dramatically thinning down" some time later. This find suggested many changes are occurring in teen brains - making them, in Strauch's estimate, "a bit crazy . . . but crazy by design". She reminds us throughout the book that while teenagers may appear physically mature in stature, what is going on in their brains is unfinished. They may look like us, but their behaviour is generally radically different. Incomplete brain development is the root cause of these departures from what we consider "normal". It was Giedd's research that sought to provide a baseline of what is "normal" for our children in those tumultuous years.

With the wide-ranging sources she uses, Strauch takes us through all the problems parents face in trying to comprehend the vagaries of teen behaviour. Sex, bizarre sleeping patterns, drugs and alcohol use by teens all have come under new scrutiny by various research teams. They stress the vulnerability of the teen brain to nicotine, alcohol and other toxins. While this may seem obvious, the mechanics of why teens engage in heavy drinking bouts, for example, show how important parental knowledge of the background and impact of these events can be to teen health. Parents shouldn't dismiss such behaviour as "something they'll grow out of" since damage to brain structure can be permanent. Although the evolutionary roots are becoming clear, parental concern remains a major factor in assuring teens don't stumble into damaging behaviour.

As one of the first "popular" books in this emerging field, Strauch's sources are almost entirely academic journals. We rely on her reputation as a New York Times health section columnist to have "done her homework" and there's little doubt she's done so. However, her own role as a mother of teens provides additional enhancement to her reliability. If she has an axe to grind, it is purely one of informing us on topics of concern to us as parents. While this book may be a "first" and may be modified by later studies, the information presented is far too important to ignore. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The strength of the book is in its message: teenager's brain undergoes a tremendous change, and realizing this would greatly help parents, teachers and others dealing with teens. The book's weakness is in the details: the science is muddled and the narrative often confused, leaving many of the open questions on the table.

The book's central point is that during teen years kids develop the part of the brain, prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for putting the brake mechanism in their decision making system. Without this part well developed, kids seem to have no way of restraining and analyzing their free-ranging emotions. Hence attitude problems, blow-ups and other unfortunate trademarks of the age.

This process of brain development helps better understand the behavioral peculiarities of teens (aloofness, thrill seeking, even drinking and smoking). The prefrontal cortex, which is under construction throughout the teen years, requires large amounts of dopamine, the neurotransmitter instrumental in our feeling of wellbeing. Because of this, during these years there is much less dopamine in other parts of the brain. So, to feel good teenagers need to bombard their brain with much stronger stimuli. Hence drugs, alcohol etc. Immediately, though, Strauch contradicts herself: she claims that teenagers are awash in dopamine, the "reds are redder" for them, they see the world in much accentuated colors. On top of that, estrogen, the hormone produced in women, and to a lesser extent in men, revs up dopamine as well. The author never comes to a conclusion on whether teenagers have dopamine in excess or lack it. For practical purposes, if much of teenage brain is lacking in dopamine and they are naturally looking for stimuli we should provide them with the ways to take safe risks (if they take a rock climbing class they may not want to drag race that car). If, instead, teenagers were swimming in dopamine, this strategy wouldn't be as insightful.

Smoking girls are found to loose 10% of their memory aptitude. But on the same page (186) nicotine is claimed to improve memory and learning. The score is never tallied: does nicotine enhance or inhibit brain functionality?

The gender differences are jumbled as well. The author reassures that women's brains, although smaller than men's, run "hotter". So the size does matter? No supporting evidence is offered. Estrogen, responsible for increase in dopamine, is much more abundant in woman's brain than in man's. But whether it contributes to age-specific differences between genders during teen years is never explored.

The book mentions, importantly, that good family relationships would outweigh the chemical and neurological imbalance of teenager's brain. This surprising fact should have been given much more attention in the book, since it may reinforce an action plan for a family of a teenager.

A good practical point is "ask for one thing at a time", since teenagers often seem incapable of keeping track of more than one task.

On balance, the heart of the book is in the right place, its mind - not quite. The main message - pay attention to this kid's brain development, you will understand much more of her - is fully deserving. The book's topic is important, and more coherent popular literature on it is needed. I hope that someone would pick up the slack.

I don't have children, but I do have an interest in mind and the brain, so when an on-line friend, Steven Haines, recommended it I decided to read The Primal Teen. As catchy as the title may sound, the book is actually quite serious about the subject of the developing teenage brain. Although the author is not herself a neurologist or neuroscientist, she is a skillful journalist (New York Times and Newsday). The topic is well researched with primary sources taken from prestigious professional journals like Nature Neuroscience, Brain Research, Journal of Comparative Neurology, Cerebral Cortex, Annals of Neurology, etc. While some of those articles cited are late 1980s, most are 1997 to 2002 (the book was published in 2003). Ms Strauch also interviewed some of the researchers personally for their input on what the scientific data are likely to mean and how it impacts teens and their families. Topics covered are: where the new data are coming from; teens and impulsive behavior; the whens, wheres, and whys of changes in the structure of the brain; what animal studies have to say about development of the brain in adolescents; why teens take risks; why teens seem to keep late hours and sleep late in the day; the chemistry of the brain and puberty; and the effects of drugs, tobacco and alcohol on growing brains.

I was a little frustrated with the lack of actual suggestions for parents on how to cope with their changing teen. To some extent the anecdotal stories of some of the researchers who had teenaged children and those from the author herself provided insight into possible approaches, but on the whole very little by the way of helpful problem solving was offered. This may well be because too little has yet been done to make definite statements. The book at least helps a parent understand that their teenagers are "normal" despite the apparent erratic behavior they exhibit, that patience is the most likely route to a successful rite of passage, and most importantly that "this too will pass."

An interesting and reassuring book.

Why do teen-aqers shoplift, vandalize, argue illogically, indulge in high-risk activities, pierce their bodies, and exude obnoxious behavior (feel free to add items to this list)?

MRI studies of brain component size and activity document that adolescents' brains are unfinished, are chock full of neurological and hormonal changes, and work differently than the brains of adults.

In 1997, neuroscience made a surprising discovery. In early adolescence, the brain's gray matter - its outer layer - thickens, then dramatically thins out. In brain thickening, tiny branches of cells bloom madly, a process called "exuberance." This is followed by "pruning." As adolescence progresses, "there is an enormous loss of gray matter...a wholesale slashing of cell branches & synapses...a massive synaptic re-organization." This is very much like what happens at birth through late childhood, but scientist didn't realize that it happens again in adolescence.

"The frontal lobes, the very area that helps teen-agers make the right decisions, are the very last areas to reach stability...When shown fear producing images, teen-age brains 'lit up' in the amygdala, a key area for instinctual reactions such as fight or flight, anger, or 'I hate you, Mom.' When adults were shown the same stimulus, they 'lit up' in the frontal lobes...What can we expect if that inhibition machinery, the pre-frontal cortex, is not yet fully formed?"

This book tells us to maintain vigilance, appropriate consequences for behavior, and some influence over that all-important peer group. At the same time, take it easy. "The old instinctual knowledge familiar to our grandparents 'They'll grow out of it,' now has a modern scientific foundation."

I am currently doing a PhD in Cognitive Science and Indiana University, and I am familiar with at least some of the studies on which this book is based---for instance the work of Yurgelun-Todd in Mass. who showed a variety of different responses of the brains from teens and adults.

I don't doubt that the differences are there---however to attribute those to biological factors is irrational. What she showed, in essence, is that groups of people that show different behavioural responses show different brain activity. This is exactly what we should expect.

These studies, which are based entirely on a US population, completely ignore all the cultures around the world and throughout history who's teenagers are considered adults, treated as such, and behave exactly like adults. For the argument that teenage brains are underdeveloped <I>biologically</I> you would have to see the same trends in every human culture, and we simply don't.

Worse, claiming that anti-social behaviour is cause by biological facters gives license to teens to not take responsibility for their own actions, and really belittles them.

Barbara Strauch has offered us a beautifully written account of her journey to understand the cutting edge of knowledge and modern scientific exploration of the adolescent brain. Through her clear and accessible writing, we are given the chance to hear the voices of scientists focusing their current work on imaging the changes in the teen's brain: insights into changes that help us (as parents, as professionals, as former teens ourselves) to understand the wild and confusing time of adolescent turmoil and transformation. As a parent, I found the book extremely entertaining, illuminating, and reassuring. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist who writes about the brain, the mind, and human relationships, I found the book to be an extremely useful resource for the teens and parents in my practice and seminars. Barbara Strauch has succeeded in helping us to understand our teenagers in a more compassionate light, opening the door to possibilities for improved relationships, and even a deeper understanding of ourselves. A wonderful treat for anyone interested in knowing more about how we transition from childhood to adulthood.

This is a must read book for all parents! Author Barbara Strauch presents the latest scientific findings regarding the teenage brain in a highly readable, even enjoyable layperson's format. This book gives incredible insight into why our teenagers act and think the way they do. It also allows us a view into the latest medicial thinking--including the vast amounts learned only recently and how much is still to be discovered. I think parents will find this book enormously useful, as well as comforting, in their everyday interactions with their kids. Kudos to author Strauch for bringing us new insights and for dispelling some long held myths.

I loved this book. The `Primal Teen' is funny, superbly written, and packed with the latest science of brain development. The author explains how the brain develops in childhood, in the teenage years, and beyond, and how this provides insights into the inner workings of the teenage mind. An award winning science and medical Editor for the New York Times, Barbara Strauch makes the latest scientific findings on the teenage brain come to life. The `Primal Teen' distils a year long personal enquiry into an action packed journey. Based on insightful interviews of experts in the science of brain development, the author shows how their findings can be relevant and exciting for parents. She brings together a fascinating array of findings, and a good measure of common sense, to help explain why teens are the way they are, and how to better understand the teenage years. The book is extraordinarily well researched; as its chapters unfold, the author beautifully conveys the excitement and bewildering implications of current research on brain development. Recent years have seen a revolution in this field. Biological changes in the teenage brain tie in with the complex behavioral changes as well, and underlie many aspects of cognitive, emotional and social maturation in early and late adolescence. The author combines cameos of the researchers she interviewed with carefully explained summaries of their findings and why they are relevant. As a researcher in the field, I think this book is a treasure; it's very difficult to put down once you start reading it. My wife loved it as well. This book shows how the science of teenage development is surprising, perplexing, and fascinating. The `Primal Teen' will be an instant classic. It fills a gap that no academic book could fill: it's a whirlwind introduction to what makes teenagers tick.

This was a good read for parents of teens or pre-adolescents who are not in the medical field or some related field. The author is not a researcher but a journalist putting together what they've learned about the topic. (Some parents may have already done this for themselves.) It's not as detailed as someone well-read on the topic may hope, but for someone just becoming interested, perhaps someone experiencing shocking episodes in their own home with their own primal teen, it's a good starter book! Glad she put it together. Hopefully there's more to come with more neurological detail.

As parents of teens, we tend to think that--by now--we have pretty much figured out what makes our kids tick...hormones, immaturity, psicological issues...right? Well, maybe that is only part of the picture. This books does a wonderful job of going beyond that, to the neurological foundation of behavior itself. It clearly explains the ramifications of the changes that are going on at a neurological level in the brain of teens and how that, consequently, translates into "teen behavior".

Your kid is not "crazy"...their frontal cortex just needs more time to develop! A reassuring read for every parent!