By Mary O’KEEFE

On Jan. 23, CV Alliance is hosting speaker Tina Givrad in a seminar titled “Hardwiring of the Teenage Brain.”

Any parent of a teenager, past or present, knows that there are times when their teen’s decision-making abilities are in question. And that is the normal teen. Add drugs and alcohol, and the developing brain is affected in ways that can change it forever.

“Recent research data has shown the teen brain is working differently than we thought,” Givrad said. “The fact is the teen brain is under construction.”

Givrad will be discussing recent research results that could help teens to sculpt their brain the way they want it and build a strong foundation for the rest of their lives.

Although the brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body, Givrad will present the information in an easy to process, easy to understand way.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research has shown that the long-held assumptions about the timing of brain maturation have changed. The brain does not look like an adult brain until the early 20s. Understanding how the brain of an adolescent is changing may help to understand the contradiction of adolescent.

“Young people at this age are close to a lifelong peak of physical health, strength and mental capacity, and yet, for some, this can be a hazardous age. Mortality rates jump between early and late adolescence. Rates of death by injury between ages 15 and 19 are about six times that of the rate between ages 10 and 14. Crime rates are highest among young males and rates of alcohol abuse are high relative to other ages,” according to NIMH.

Givrad received her BS in electrical engineering and MS in communication and control. She worked for Boeing North America Defense Group as a systems engineer and later received her Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California and served as a postdoctoral research associate at the same institution. She is the author and co-author of numerous publications in scientific peer review journals and her personal interest in “teenage brain, a masterpiece in the making” has been the subject of many community and public school presentations.

Adults and kids are invited to the discussion at the Crescenta Valley High School Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta, on Jan. 23 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.

This is the first in a series of outreach programs for adults and kids. The next discussion will be on Feb. 13 titled “Bullying Prevention.” On March 27 “Teen Suicide Prevention” will be presented and April 10 will cover “Underage Drinking and How it Relates to You.”

For information on CV Alliance, its programs and more on teens,
visit http://cv-alliance.org.

  Mary Okeefe