World expert shares his research on why kids 'don't think'

Parents have heard this expression about teenagers: they just aren’t thinking. It seems as if a lot of things just aren’t fitting together in their brain. One moment they appear intelligent and rational, the next impulsive and moody. Even teens can’t explain their behaviour as to what they were thinking. But is it true they aren’t thinking and more important, why does it seem like that?

Public event to help explain teenage thinking

International scientist Dr. Jay Giedd, who went so far as to study the brains of his own teenage kids, is making a rare visit to Calgary to shed some insight into how teens think. Giedd will give a public talk entitled The Teen Brain on March 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, sponsored by the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine.

A neuroscientist at the National Institute of Mental Health and a professor at the University of California, San Diego, he will detail his research findings on teen decision-making and brain maturation. 

In his research, Giedd points out that the brain’s plasticity or ability to change allows adolescents to learn and adapt, paving the way for independence. But it also leads to risk taking, poor decision-making and in some cases, diagnosable disorders. “It’s sort of unfair to expect teens to have adult levels of organizational skills or decision-making before their brains are finished being built,” Giedd once explained in an interview with the PBS program Frontline. Giedd’s groundbreaking work is also part of a documentary, Brains on Trial, with Alan Alda on PBS.

Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser to moderate public talk

The evening event will be moderated by hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians and an advocate of youth mental health. “I’m so excited to be involved with this special event and with this renowned scholar to highlight the stages of brain development in teenagers and the unique opportunities we have to intervene to promote healthier and more active lives for them,” says Wickenheiser.

Wickenheiser completed her MSc in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary in 2013. Her thesis used brain imaging to understand the effects of exercise in youth with autism spectrum disorder. A few weeks ago, the retired hockey star was listed as one of several athletes to pledge her brain to science research after death. 

Brain imaging conference hosted by university researchers

The public talk is part of a conference organized by the Child Adolescent Imaging Research team (CAIR) at the university, one of the largest paediatric brain imaging research groups in Canada. The research team has published extensively, describing important changes to the developing brain including new evidence on structural differences in the brain of children with autism and how the fetal brain is adversely affected by maternal depression.

"Adolescence is such an important time in terms of our social, emotional and cognitive development. But it can also be a challenging period for some, and many mental illnesses onset during this time,” says Signe Bray, PhD, the chair of the conference. “We hope that this conference and public event help to illuminate what is changing in the teen brain and we are so excited to bring a world renowned scholar to Calgary to tell us more." 

Bray is an assistant professor in the Cumming School of Medicine’s Department of Radiology and a member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and Hotchkiss Brain Institute. The CAIR program is supported by community donations through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. 

The Brain and Mental Health research strategy provides a unifying direction for brain and mental health research at the University of Calgary. This exciting strategy, led by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, positions University of Calgary researchers to unlock new discoveries and treatments for brain health in our community by working in interdisciplinary teams.