For those following the latest announcements of the results of brain research over the past few years, it seems these new insights are turning our world upside down. Answers on the causes of behavior in some cases are being turned completely around As we move away from the common ”check-list” approach to diagnostics to diagnosis based more on measurements of brain activity, we have to keep reminding ourselves that what we know , or maybe learned in school, just might be plain wrong. As research progresses in brain research, its an exciting time watching new and more solidly based knowledge unfold. It is also almost to the the stage that when you want to try to answer a problem, don’t answer before you have checked the latest scientific breakthroughs. The following are some examples that I have recently run across.
It has been a long-standing theory that “delayed brain maturation is the cause of impulsive and dangerous decisions in adolescence.” However, a new study using brain imaging has found that “adolescents who engage in dangerous activities have… [brains]… that are more adult in form than their more conservative peers.” This is exactly the opposite of what was expected. The researchers speculated that “biological capacity shows up long before the wisdom that comes with time is fully developed.” That is, the brain in the young people with risky behaviors is actually more adult-like long before they have the wisdom to control their adult capabilities.
I was taught many years ago that the brain develops and upon maturity is more or less permanently hard-wired. This concept was rejected several years ago through brain research that shows the brain is elastic throughout life. It also has more recently been accepted that stress “re-wires” the brain causing all kinds of ailments like increased blood pressure, supression of the immune system, etc. However, recent research has found that the rewiring tends to perpetuate that stress, that the “Brain Is a -Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop,” continuing the sense of stress long after the cause of stress is removed, and losing the brain’s elastic ability. However, the research also found that in rats at least, a four week vacation in a positive supportive environment allows the brain to reform and regain its elastic ability. That’s sure a good argument for getting struggling teens away from their stressful environment, if for no other reason than to allow the brain to reform so it can move away from rigid old habits and allow the person to regain their ability to be more creative in responding to their environment.
Another example was contained an article about how increased knowledge from brain research is fueling some trends that are drastically redirecting assumptions about drug treatment. These developments include: Actual pictures of brains and the impact of drugs on it are replacing images using eggs on a frying pan; The way is opening for Physicians to assume a greater role in drug addiction treatment; increased use of electronic health records; Stand-alone addiction treatment and mental health-only approaches might become extinct; Tobacco is being seen as an enemy of recovery; Online treatment is become more feasible; And diet and exercise is becoming more important in treatment. Support for all these trends are being found in brain research.
Be careful of what you think you know – brain research might be making it obsolete as you read this.
What do you think?
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