How does a Young Adult Brain work?
The human brain isn’t fully developed until around the age of 25. The transitional life-stage that takes place between the ages of 18 and 25, coincides with the final (and crucial) stage of brain development – maturity of the pre-frontal cortex.
The pre-frontal cortex is responsible for a number of higher cognitive executive functions, such as attention, planning, decision-making and impulse control. Until the pre-frontal cortex matures, the limbic system, which is more primitive and spontaneous, dominates.
At the same time, adolescents often have increased levels of dopamine, sometimes referred to as ‘the happy hormone’. Dopamine is addictive and encourages attraction to exciting, and often risky experiences.
These factors (and others) combined mean that young adults are more likely to engage in risky/reckless behaviour, which puts them at greater risk of injury in certain settings, such as road traffic accidents.
Brain injury can cause numerous issues for young adult survivors, impacting on all areas of their life, including but not limited to – difficulties with cognitive ability, impaired speech, fatigue, emotional issues, mobility problems, and challenges with memory and organisational skills.
Further Reading
‘Attending University: A guide for students living with brain injury’
‘University Students Should Remain Aware of Meningitis Risk’
