States rethink 'adult time for adult crime' - the Youth Advocacy Division

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the cerebral cortex, responsible for higher-order integration, mature only after lowerorder somatosensory and visual cortices are developed. My review of the data found overwhelming evidence indicating that the main index of maturation, which is the process called myelination, is not complete until some time in the beginning of the third decade of life (probably at around ages 20-22). Other maturational processes, such as the increase and subsequent elimination (“pruning”) in cell number and connectivity, may be completed by late adolescence, perhaps by ages 15-17. (More data are needed to know for sure.) These results have rather profound implications for understanding behavioral development. The cortical regions that are last to mature, particularly those in prefrontal areas, are involved in behavioral facets germane to many aspects of criminal culpability. Perhaps most relevant is the involvement of these brain regions in the control of aggression and other impulses, the process of planning for long-range goals, organization of sequential behavior, the process of abstraction and mental flexibility, and aspects of memory including “working memory.” If the neural substrates of these behaviors have not reached maturity before adulthood, it is unreasonable to expect the behaviors themselves to reflect mature thought processes. As I stated in my expert opinion for the court, the brain-scan techniques have demonstrated conclusively that the phenomena observed by mental-health professionals in persons under 18, which would render them less morally blameworthy for offenses, have a scientific grounding in neural substrates. The evidence now is strong that the brain does not cease to mature until the early 20s in those relevant parts that govern impulsivity, judgment, planning for the future, foresight of consequences, and other characteristics that make people morally culpable. Therefore, from the perspective of neural development, someone under 20 should be considered to have an underdeveloped brain. Additionally, since brain development in the relevant areas goes in phases that vary in rate and is usually not complete before the early to mid-20s, there is no way to state with any scientific reliability that an individual 17-year-old has a fully matured brain (and should be eligible for the most severe punishment), no matter how many otherwise accurate tests and measures might be applied to him at the time of his trial for capital murder. This is similar to other physical characteristics such as height. While we know the age at which the average adult reaches his or her maximal height, predictions for individuals are not easy to make. Thus, although 18 is an arbitrary cutoff, given the ongoing development of the brain in most individuals, it must be preferred over 17 to assure that only the most culpable are punished for capital crimes. Indeed, age 21 or 22 would be closer to the “biological” age of maturity. Dr. Ruben Gur is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry (with secondary appointments in Radiology and Neurology) and director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory in the School of Medicine. ©2005 The Pennsylvania Gazette Last modified 01/05/05
New research shows stark differences in teen brains New research shows stark differences in teen brains Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard Advanced search | Search tips Written by: Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard May 11, 2004: Scripps Howard News Service New research shows stark differences in teen brains By Lee Bowman Recent popular films depicting teenagers suddenly housed in adult bodies have more than a little truth in them. The latest brain research has found strong evidence that when it comes to maturity, organization and control, key parts of the brain related to emotions, judgment and "thinking ahead" are the last to arrive. "It seems that regulation of impulse control is the last on board and often the first to leave in the brain as we age," said Dr. Ruben Gur, a professor of psychology and director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania who has been researching brain development in young adults. Until recently, most brain experts thought the human command center stopped growing at around 18 months, and that neurons were pretty much set for life by age 3. In fact, the brain's gray matter has a final growth spurt around the ages of 11 to 13 in the frontal lobes of the brain, the regions that guide human intellect and planning. But it seems to take most of the teen years for youngsters to link these new cells to the rest of their brains and solidify the millions of connections that allow them to think and behave like adults. At the same time, the release of a cascade of adolescent hormones during and after puberty causes other areas of the brain, particularly the amygdala, which governs basic emotional response, to fire up or expand. The result is that teens look at things differently than adults. This has tremendous implications for education, mental health, drug abuse and moral and legal responsibility of adolescents. Deborah Yurgelun-Todd of Harvard Medical School and McClean Hospital in Boston has studied how teenagers and adults respond differently to the same images. file:///L|/JDN/Brain%20Resources/Brain%20Development/...0shows%20stark%20differences%20in%20teen%20brains.htm (1 of 4)8/16/2006 4:42:07 PM
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