Johnson Sara B, Blum Robert W, Giedd Jay N
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Population, Family & Reproductive Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
J Adolesc Health. 2009 Sep;45(3):216-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.05.016.
Longitudinal neuroimaging studies demonstrate that the adolescent brain continues to mature well into the 20s. This has prompted intense interest in linking neuromaturation to maturity of judgment. Public policy is struggling to keep up with burgeoning interest in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging. However, empirical evidence linking neurodevelopmental processes and adolescent real-world behavior remains sparse. Nonetheless, adolescent brain development research is already shaping public policy debates about when individuals should be considered mature for policy purposes. With this in mind, in this article we summarize what is known about adolescent brain development and what remains unknown, as well as what neuroscience can and cannot tell us about the adolescent brain and behavior. We suggest that a conceptual framework that situates brain science in the broader context of adolescent developmental research would help to facilitate research-to-policy translation. Furthermore, although contemporary discussions of adolescent maturity and the brain often use a deficit-based approach, there is enormous opportunity for brain science to illuminate the great strengths and potentialities of the adolescent brain. So, too, can this information inform policies that promote adolescent health and well-being.
纵向神经影像学研究表明，青少年大脑会持续成熟，直至20多岁。这引发了人们对将神经成熟与判断力成熟联系起来的浓厚兴趣。公共政策正在努力跟上人们对认知神经科学和神经影像学迅速增长的兴趣。然而，将神经发育过程与青少年现实世界行为联系起来的实证证据仍然稀少。尽管如此，青少年大脑发育研究已经在塑造关于在政策层面何时应将个体视为成熟的公共政策辩论。考虑到这一点，在本文中，我们总结了关于青少年大脑发育已知和未知的内容，以及神经科学能和不能告诉我们的关于青少年大脑和行为的信息。我们认为，一个将脑科学置于青少年发展研究更广泛背景下的概念框架将有助于促进从研究到政策的转化。此外，尽管当代关于青少年成熟和大脑的讨论通常采用基于缺陷的方法，但脑科学有巨大机会阐明青少年大脑的巨大优势和潜力。同样，这些信息也可为促进青少年健康和幸福的政策提供参考。
