Page 34 - Prefrontal Cortex News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Happen? >> absolutely. i have a study that says yes. they study people carefully. there is a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex and it lights up when you see pictures of people that are right for you. when you meet them the same part of the brain lights up. i tell you what the problem is. it is usually someone that is hot. it doesn't necessarily means it is right for you. if you see kate upton, your brain lights up. may be the wrong person for you but your brain lights up. >> you can look at a bunch of pretty woman, if you're a man, and certain ones would ring your bell. >> absolut...

He stopped skateboarding. he even dropped out of school. >> i like getting high. i need to get high because my brain is telling me. >> adolescents, starting about age 13 have a pretty mature brain reward center. so they can experience rewards and pleasures the same way adults can, but the problem with that is that their prefrontal cortex, which helps people think ahead, control their impulses, that's not fully developed until age 24. that explains why adolescents are much more vulnerable. >> there's something else that addiction experts believe is likely happening in the brain. when you smoke ...

They will become slower at cognitive functioning, a wide range of things. these affects are temporary, but they're pretty pronounced, and they are clear. >> and it's slowly becoming clear to scientists what part of the brain is most affected. it's the prefrontal cortex. >> it's very important for planning, thinking, coordinating your behaviors. there are tons of marijuana receptors in this region, and we think that marijuana, particularly in the novice, can disrupt all of those behaviors. >> an impairment that hart cautions could be dangerous. especially when driving. >> you may prematurely hi...

>> so give me an update, how you doing? >> dr. christian thurston runs one of the biggest youth substance abuse clinics. >> literally, i cried about it. >> marijuana is number one on their list of priorities. they dropped out of life. >> back in the day, i would have been like, my day hasn't started if i didn't get high. >> joe started smoking when he was just 13. by 15, he was smoking more than a dozen times a day. he stopped skateboarding. even dropped out of school. >> i like getting high. i need get high because my brain is telling me. >> adolescents, at about age 13, have a pretty mature ...

And then just get into a state of ahhhhh -- you know. >> and why that happens is exactly what columbia university neuro scientist carl harp is investigating. >> exhale. >> research subjects in his lab smoke marijuana and then take a variety of cognitive tests. >> effects will be disruption in memory. disruptions in inhibitory con control. they become slower at cognitive functioning. a wide array of things. they are temporary, but pronounced and clear. >> it is slowly becoming clear to scientists what part of the brain is most effected. the prefrontal cortex. >> it is very important for plannin...