When In teen age

The teenage brain, vulnerable to the dangers of drugs, and the chaos of schizophrenia. By the second decade of life, human brain has developed to its full size, it’s billions of neurons, all in place. At this stage, brain development focuses on part of the brain that makes us uniquely human, the still maturing pre frontal cortex.

The pre frontal cortex is the part of the brain that allows us to make future plans and is involved in highly abstract areas like personal responsibilities, morality and self control. With part of the brain responsible for reason, judgement and self discipline is still developing, the teenage years can be time of turmoil and confusion. The brain is in flux, and shapes personalities, behaviour and even identity.

Schizophrenia generally begins in early 20s. Several brain regions start under performing regions responsible for thinking, reasoning, memory and emotion. Since so many brain regions are not working properly, it has led researchers to part of the brain that coordinates these systems i.e. the pre frontal cortex. It acts as a conductor in an Orchestra, it maintains harmony and makes music out of many elements. In schizophrenics there is noise in the brain instead of music. A poorly functioning pre frontal cortex, makes thinking difficult.

The ventricles of the brain, the centers that have spinal fluid to prevent damage to skin tissue are slightly bigger in patients of Schizophrenia i.e. the other areas of the brain were smaller, especially the pre frontal cortex. It not only affects the think parts of the brain but can also have a serious impact on emotions. Some patients also suffer from hallucinations as well, frighting visions and voices that do not exist.

At the beginning of adolescence, the pre frontal cortex goes through a burst of growth, as Neurons reach out to connect to other neurons and just as in children the connections between neurons grow stronger or they are pruned back and they wither away.

In a normal brain, waves of sound falling on the ear, travel as electrical and chemical pulses, to the hearing part of the brain, the auditory cortex, generating a surge of signals that travel to the thinking regions of the brain where they are interpreted. In psychosis(A mental disorder characterised by a disconnection from reality), the thinking regions fail, neurons fire in random and chaotic ways creating sounds that have no connection to the outside brain.

Physios is caused in part by problems with a chemical in the brain called Dopamine. It is one of the brain transmitters, molecules that send messages from cell to cell across a tiny gap called Synapse. In a normal brain, dopamine by simulating the receptors on the neurons that is it’s target, setting off a cascade of chemical and electrical reactions. In psychotic brain, the levels of dopamine surge, over stimulating the receptors wrecking havoc with the brain’s ability to send clear and accurate signals.

Anti psychotic medicines relieve psychosis by reducing the impact of Dopamine on the neuron, by clogging Dopamine sensitive receptors. With diminished neural stimulation, psychotic symptoms lessens and often disappear. Anti – psychotic medicines do not cure Schizophrenia, they are to be taken for almost rest of the life. In some people these medicines do not work at all.