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Risky Teenagers' Brains More Like Developed Adults, Emory Study Finds
Jim Burress (2009-08-26)
ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Science has long thought adolescents who engage in risky behavior could do so because the part of their brain responsible for decision making is under-developed.

Emory Psychiatry professor Gregory Burns has just published research that says the opposite.

He found teens who drink and drive, do drugs, or engage in other risky behaviors actually have more developed, adult-like brains.

"We don't know whether engaging in these activities somehow changes the rate that the brain develops, which is certainly possible."

The other possibility is that changes in brain development somehow influence teenagers' behavior.

Burns says more studies are needed to better understand which is the case, and why it happens.

Jim Burress, WABE News.
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