How puberty changes your brain_Shannon Odell

Shannon Odell: How puberty changes your brain

 

While we often talk about puberty’s effect on the body, what gets overlooked are the fascinating changes that happen in the brain.

我们经常会提到 青春期对身体的影响， 但常常忽略的是大脑 因青春期发生的神奇变化。

 

I’ve been sent here to talk to you about puberty. Any questions?

我受邀来为大家介绍青春期。 大家有什么问题吗？

 

During puberty, your reproductive organs grow and mature. Any questions?

青春期时，你的生殖器官 会发育，逐渐成熟。 有问题吗？

 

This ripening allows you to become a sexually mature adult.

发育成熟让你成为了 一个性成熟的成人。

 

There are so many other changes to your body that puberty can seem almost magical.

身体里还会发生 许许多多其他的变化， 让青春期显得神通广大。

 

I think I'll take it from here.

我就从这里接手了。

 

Puberty, in fact, begins in the brain. At some point, usually between the ages of 9 and 14, puberty is triggered when a region known as the hypothalamus releases waves of a specialized hormone.

青春期其实始于大脑。 到了一定的岁数， 通常在 9 到 14 岁之间， 青春期就会由一块 称为下丘脑的区域激发， 下丘脑此时释放了 一波波特殊的激素。

 

As convenient as it would be to go to sleep a child and wake up an adult, this maturation is slow, and puberty lasts as long as 4 to 5 years. And during this extended process, the brain undergoes its own transformation, thanks to two of puberty’s key players— estrogen and testosterone.

没有躺下是个孩子， 起来是个大人那么方便， 这个成熟的过程很缓慢， 青春期要持续 4 到 5 年之久。 在这个漫长的过程中， 大脑本身也发生了改变， 来自青春期的两个关键角色： 雌性激素和睾丸素。

 

Produced in the developing testes and ovaries, these hormones hitch a ride to the brain via the bloodstream. Once there, they interact with receptors on neurons, changing the way the individual cells work and function by making them more or less excitable, altering their growth, or reshaping their connections. Cumulatively, this can change how you feel, think, and behave.

这两种激素由逐渐发育的 卵巢和睾丸产生， 通过血流前往大脑。 到达大脑后，它们会与 神经元上的受体发生反应， 改变每个细胞运作运转的方式， 通过调整细胞可兴奋的水平， 改变发育情况 或调节细胞间的连结。 这个过程日渐改变了 你的感受、思考和行为。

 

For example, hormones remodel and develop the limbic system, a collection of brain regions responsible for emotional behavior. Research in animal models suggests that the amygdala undergoes changes in size and connectivity during puberty. The amygdala’s function is wide-ranging, from detecting threats in your environment, to helping you recognize emotions in your friend’s faces. Its development allows you to better connect with your peers, while priming your brain for learning and discovery.

比如，激素改变了边缘系统的 结构，并使其发育， 边缘系统是负责情绪化行为的 脑区的集合。 动物模型研究表明 青春期时，杏仁核的 大小和脑连接会发生改变。 杏仁核的功能多样， 比如检测环境中的威胁、 识别朋友表情背后的情绪。 杏仁核的发育让你可以 更好地与同伴交际， 也让你的大脑准备好 学习和探索。

 

Likewise, puberty organizes and restructures the nucleus accumbens involved in reward and sensation-seeking. Activity in this dopamine hub is thought to drive the pleasurable sensations we feel when doing rewarding activities, like spending time with friends or having new experiences. Several studies have found that as hormone levels increase through puberty, so does the response of the nucleus accumbens. As a result, exploration and social engagement may feel that much more important during adolescence.

青春期也同样组织、 重构了伏隔核， 伏隔核负责处理 奖赏和感官刺激。 这个多巴胺中心的活动会促进 我们在进行有益活动时 产生愉悦的感觉， 比如和朋友相聚、体验新事物。 许多研究发现 青春期激素水平的上升 会引发更强烈的伏隔核反应。 因此，探索和社交 才会在青春期 让人感觉更加重要。

 

As these emotion and reward centers rapidly develop, their connections with higher cortical brain regions tend to do so on an extended timeline. These cortical regions, which help impose emotional regulation and impulse control, continue to grow well past puberty, into your 20s. While teens are often unfairly stereotyped as rash or impulsive, research reveals a more complex story. Teens are just as capable as adults of making thoughtful decisions when given the time and space. It’s only during high stress or in the heat of the moment that teens may find it more difficult to manage emotions. Further, this lengthy cortical development allows adolescent brains to remain adaptable as they learn and grow in new situations, form their identities, and build the skill sets needed for adulthood.

虽然这几个情感和 奖赏中心发育迅速， 但是它们与高级皮质区的连结 发育就相对缓慢。 这些大脑皮质区 对情绪和冲动加以控制， 过了青春期还会持续发育， 直到 20 多岁。 虽然人们经常对青少年 抱有偏见，认为他们冲动鲁莽， 但是研究展现了 一个更复杂的说法。 如果有足够的时间和空间， 青少年具备和成年人同等的 做出审慎决定的能力。 只有在高压或一时冲动下， 青少年才会比较 难以控制自己的情绪。 而且，这漫长的大脑皮层发育 让青少年的大脑保持灵活， 随着他们在新情况中学习、成长、 形成自我认知、 培养成年所需的技能。

 

For all we know about the effects of puberty on the brain, there remain many unanswered questions. What sets off the initial puberty signal in the brain? Why is the average onset of puberty shifting earlier? And, while hormones may seem powerful, they may not be the full story. Experiences you have during adolescence may be just as influential as hormones in shaping and maturing the developing brain. So while all these physical and mental changes can make you feel as if puberty is in control, you have more power than you think. The everyday choices you make, from learning new skills, to being a good friend, to setting boundaries, ultimately steer the path of who you are and will become. Any questions?

虽然我们了解了 青春期对大脑的影响， 但依旧有许多未解之谜。 是什么因素让大脑发送了 最初的青春期信号？ 为什么青春期的平均 起始时间越来越早了？ 虽然激素看似很厉害， 但它们可能不是全部因素。 你在青春期的经历可能与 激素构建和培养正在发育的大脑 有同样重要的作用。 虽然这些身体和心理上的变化 可能会让你觉得 你任由青春期摆布， 但是你比你想象的更强大。 你的日常决定、 学习新技能、做个好朋友、 建立边界， 最终掌控自己想成为什么样的人、 会成为什么样的人的旅途。 还有问题吗？

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출처 : 
https://www.ted.com/talks/shannon_odell_how_puberty_changes_your_brain/transcript