Stress and the Brain: How Experiences and Exposures Across the Life Span Shape Health, Development, and Learning in Adolescence

摘要

In the past two decades, a large body of functional neuroim-aging research has revealed important structural and functional changes in the brain during the second and third decades of life, refuting long-standing assumptions that the brain is mature by puberty [1,2]. Furthermore, mounting evidence highlights the role of an individual's life history in shaping adolescent brain structure and function [2,3]. Across the life span, but particularly in early life and in adolescence, the hallmark of the brain is its enormous plasticity, that is, the ability to adapt to meet environmental demands [4]. However, plasticity is a "double-edged sword," a source of both vulnerability and resilience, depending on the nature of this environment [4]. Ultimately, the adolescent brain reflects a lifetime of interaction among social and physical environments, personal experiences, behavior, and biology. This "brain in progress," in turn, serves as the neural foundation for the transition to adulthood.