The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

Daria Al-Khalidi
UNC Charlotte

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

The young adult brain (ages 13-25) has been the center of many controversial
science debates in the more recent years; with bizarre headlines varying from: cell
phone radiation lowers IQ and new research shows weed helps the brain. With
contradicting scientific claims being made from left to right, a lot of these headlines have
confused people about what is true and what is not. By analyzing the more relatable and
unbiased forms of data collected over the years about the young adult brain, conclusions
can be made about how the young adult brain is affected by dangerous activities and risks
such as marijuana, cigarette, alcohol consumption, and constant technology use.
Up until the 2000s, people believed that the brain stopped developing around the
age of 18; however, more recent studies showed that the brain does not stop developing
until the age of 25. Prior to the 2000s, people held the belief that the U.S.s definition of
adult at 18 signified the end of major brain development. For many people, the term
young adult means anyone younger than 18. In science, young adult has been
redefined to mean anyone 25 or younger. The new data that also showed that the brain
undergoes major development from the ages of 18 to 25. This is important because
college students are typically around the age of 18-25 and over two-thirds of them are
subjecting their brains to drinking and smoking accompanied by their partying lifestyles.
The effects that drinking has on the brain does not disappear after one graduates college;
many of the effects are long term. According to a nationwide study done by NESARC
(National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions), students in college
drink more than those who graduated with a high school degree or less formal education.
About 70 percent of college students in America say that they consume alcohol on a
regular basis (once every weekend). The study also found that 19 percent of college

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

students met the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependents. Even more alarming of a
statistic found by this study is that 44 percent of college students say they binge drink.
Binge drinking is consuming five or more drinks within two hours for men, or four or
more drinks for women (College Student Alcohol Drinking Statistics). Binge drinking is
the most harmful form of alcohol consumption and destroys the brains development at an
even more accelerated rate than regular basis drinkers. Both of these statistics are
dangerously high, especially when the effects of drinking on the brain are taken into
consideration. Drinking even at the legal age limit of 21, still harms the young adult brain
while it is still developing. The legal age limit for drinking was decided upon long before
scientists discovered that the brain does not stop undergoing major changes until 25. The
effects of drinking on the brain include: memory loss, lower IQ, and destruction of brain
synapses. Synapses are the connections in the brain, in which all-human thought and
action depends on. The destruction of synapses correlates very closely to the symptoms
of progressive Alzheimers (Mission Critical: Save the Synapses). In essence, destroying
these connections is destroying your brains vital memory and action capacity.
Another risk factor that a large percentage of college students engage in is
smoking marijuana. Marijuana use is the most common in the age group of 18 to 25.
According to a survey done by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 16 percent
of college students have used marijuana in the past month. The Centers for Disease and
Control report that 30.2 percent of college students have used marijuana in the past year.
This means that about one-third of college students each year are subjecting their brain to
the chemical THC at least once. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main active
chemical found in marijuana that produces the high feeling in users (Young pot

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

smokers show brain abnormalities). THC works by connecting to a specific site on nerve
cells in the brain and influences the activity of those cells. THC alters the way that
information is processed by interfering with the hippocampus, an area in the brain
responsible for memory (Marijuana Use Among College Students). A study by The
Harvard School of Public Health found that 91 percent of people who use marijuana
participate in other high-risk activities such as binge drinking or cigarette smoking.

Smoking marijuana was also found to relate to a lot of other social and
behavioral problems including poor academic performance, memory loss, isolation, and
engaging in more criminal acts. A lot of controversial scientific evidence has been
floating the web in the more recent years with claims that marijuana benefits the brain.
These studies were later discarded since they were conducted on animal subjects, rather
than humans. Smoking marijuana at any age is going to have detrimental effects on the
brain. These effects are even more amplified when the users are between the ages of 18 to
25. A collaborative study conducted by Northwestern University and Harvard Medical
School focused solely on marijuana users from the age of 18 to 25 and smoked between
one to seven joints a week. In the study researchers found changes in the scans of the
young adult brains in areas that should never be messed around with. The researchers
were able to make a direct correlation between the numbers of times users smoked with
an increase in brain abnormalities. Abnormalities were found regarding the brains shape,
volume, and density of its regions. This study and others similar to it have shown that
smoking marijuana does not only result in behavioral and social differences, it also
results in physical ones.

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

Cigarette smoking, although it is not illegal after the age of 18, it is not a healthy
activity to engage in. In a study done in 2004, the University of Michigan found that just
like heroin and morphine, cigarette smoking stimulates the brains production of opioids.
The stimulation of opioids is what releases the feel-good sensation for drug users of
Heroin and Morphine (Davis, J). Opioids play a role in soothing pain, creating good
emotional feelings, and creating a sense of reward. Nicotine, the main chemical in
cigarettes, is sent to the brain within ten seconds of being inhaled. Once in the brain,
nicotine and the other chemicals in cigarettes remain active for 20 to 40 minutes
(Smoking ,n.d). Nicotine changes and controls the specialized receptor cells in the brain,
which are responsible for regulating memory and mood. Nicotine physically alters a
smokers chemistry of their brain. This is why smoking cigarettes is so hard to quit.

Quitting smoking leads to mood changes, withdrawals, anxiety, and irritability.

Scans of a cigarette smokers brain versus a smokers brain show even more evidence of
how cigarettes alter brain chemistry. A daily smokers brain (for five years) had a lot of
inactive areas, similar to the inactive areas found in scans of binge drinkers and
marijuana smokers. Inactive areas in brain scans mean that there is not a lot of activity
that occurs in that part of the brain. Typically, people have parts of their brain that are
more inactive than others. However, the inactive areas shown on drug and cigarette users
scans show inactive areas because of damage or trauma to that region. Once synapses and
nerve cells are destroyed by trauma or damage from drinking or smoking, they can no
longer be regenerated (Marijuana Use Statistics). People that have inactive areas without
damage can work on improving those areas. However, people with inactive areas due to

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

damage or trauma can never regenerate those nerve cells or synapses. Nerve cells are the
only cells that the human body cannot regenerate. While some of the things that harm the
brain are physically taken, others are not.
In Americas modern era, cell phones are seen as an essential. However, excessive
use of the cell phone can actually alter ones brain activity. In a 2013 study by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, brain scans were utilized to show that cell phone
radiofrequency radiation alters brain activity. The study analyzed the brain scans of 47
volunteers (mainly young adults) and compared them before any cell phone activity and
after 50 minutes with an active cell phone held to the right ear. The right side of the brain
(where the cell phone was held) showed a dramatic increase in metabolic activity after
the 50 minutes of active cell phone activity (Cell phone radiation alters brain activity).
This study was published by the highly accredited American Medical Association, and is
the first study to document changes in brain activity after cell phone use. Even though the
cell phone radiofrequencies activated by the cell phone are very week, they are enough to
alter the brains activity. The fact that so little is known about the effects of excessive use
of cell phones is what makes cell phone use dangerous.
In conclusion, although a lot is still not known about the young adult brain, people
are becoming more aware of its developmental process and how it can be damaged.
Keeping a brain free from damage may be a hard thing for many people to do, especially
young adults. However, young adults need to realize the effects of these substances and
the long-term effects of what they are doing to their bodies. With bran scans becoming a
more prominent use of evidence, we can now physically see how the brain is harmed or
altered by the use of drugs, cell phones, and cigarette smoking. In addition to the brain

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

scans, surveys and studies give insight into the young adult populations activities and
their risk factors. With many college students engaging in activities such as drinking and
smoking during partying events, they are subjecting their brains to harmful substances. A
lot of people refuse to believe the overwhelming majority of evidence that shows that
partaking in consumption of those substances is dangerous, or they do not want to know.
The more and better informed the young adults are about their own bodies, the more
likely they will be to take action and consider refraining from harmful activities.
Although cell phone use is one of the topics that has not yet been widely explored by
scientists, the few studies that have been done have shown negative results on the brain.
In the past people did not know cigarettes were bad. It was not until numerous studies
were done that people realized smoking is bad for their health.

References

Cell phone radiation alters brain activity. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://www.ewg.org/cell-phone-radiation-affects-brain-function

The Controversial Science Behind the Young Adult Brain

College Student Alcohol Drinking Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://www.statisticbrain.com/college-student-alcohol-drinking-statistics/
Davis, J. (n.d.). Smoking Cigarettes Affects Brain Like Heroin. Retrieved April 7, 2015,
from http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20041027/smokingcigarettes-affects-brain-like-heroin
Marijuana Use Among College Students. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/Marijuana-Use-Among-CollegeStudents.html
Marijuana Use Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://marijuanaaddictiontreatment.org/statistics-facts.html#
Mission Critical: Save the Synapses. (2014, March 31). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://curealz.org/events/2014/03/mission-critical-save-synapses
Smoking. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://smoking.ygoy.com/effects-ofsmoking-on-the-brain/
Young pot smokers show brain abnormalities: Study. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015,
from http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/young-pot-smokers-showbrain-abnormalities-study-article-1.1758574