Sleep Research Could Tell Us How Adolescent Brains Mature

Written by Brian Krans | Published on 24 March 2013

UC Davis brain researchers measure how a childs brain changes throughout puberty, perhaps paving the way for a better understanding of adolescent mental health.

If you think you understand whats going on in the mind of your teenager, think again. Since 2002, the University of California at Daviss Sleep Lab has been investigating exactly what changes the mind goes through during puberty. Theyve been scanning the brains of sleeping teens as they transition through an important stage of human development. Sleep is interesting because there are so many unanswered questions, Dr. Ian Campbell, project scientist at UC Davis and study co-author, said in an interview with Healthline. We still dont know the purpose of sleep. Their latest study builds on their previous research and could provide important insight into how the mind remakes itself in preparation for adulthood. A Sleeping Mind Says So Much Scanning a sleeping brain, researchers say, is the best way to measure levels of synaptic pruning, the process during which the brain matures from childhood to adulthood. Beginning even before birth, the human brain forms connectionscalled synapses between neurons. During the maturation process, the brain decides which of these connections are important and which are superfluous. During childhood, the brain appears to use its synapses to heal and to adapt to its environment, but it later trades

some of them in exchange for the problem-solving skills required as an adult. The team's previous studies show that the brains slowest waveswhich appear during the most recuperative portions of sleepdecline consistently between ages nine and 18. However, the most rapid decline occurs between the ages of 12 and 16 , prompting researchers to conclude that most synaptic pruning occurs during puberty. We knew there was going to be a change, but we didnt know at what rate [the brain] would mature, Campbell said. The up side of synaptic pruning is that it leads to a more mature, better functioning brain capable of the decision-making needed in adulthood. The downside is that the adult brain cant heal from injury as quickly. (Yet another reason for adults to wear helmets when playing high-risk sports.) In their latest study, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, the UC Davis researchers monitored the brain waves of 28 healthy, sleeping adolescents using an electroencephalogram, or EEG. With these pictures, we get a better idea of how the brain is developing during a crucial period of adolescence, Campbell said. Researchers noticed that the brain has the highest synaptic density at age eight and that this density slowly declines until at age 12, when it accelerates through age 16. The teams next research goal will be to determine how much sleep is required during adolescence and how well the adolescent brain performs during testing. Adolescence and Mental Illness The outcomes of this field of research could prove beneficial for our understanding of mental illness, as puberty is often when mental problems arise. For example, some children with ADHD grow out of it, but not all do. Studying these adolescent brain changes could lead to better screenings, treatments, and perhaps someday, a cure.

Schizophrenia is another condition that may benefit from this research. Because the average age of onset is 16, Campbell said the brain may be cutting out the wrong synapses and re-organizing itself incorrectly.
It pruning gone wrong, he said.

More on Healthline.com:
Do Kids Grow Out of ADHD? Not All Do, Researchers Say Effects of Concussions in Youth Sports Can Last For Decades Healthlines Schizophrenia Center