Why is it that the brain of an adolescent becomes capable of processing information more efficiently than the brain of a child?
A) Because the brain has grown to its adult size by the time puberty occurs
B) Because synaptic pruning and myelination are nearly complete by adolescence
C) Because not all of the cerebral lobes were "active" before puberty, but they are all working in adolescence
D) Because the corpus callosum atrophies and disappears during adolescence

Question

Why is it that the brain of an adolescent becomes capable of processing information more efficiently than the brain of a child?
A) ​Because the brain has grown to its adult size by the time puberty occurs
B) ​Because synaptic pruning and myelination are nearly complete by adolescence
C) ​Because not all of the cerebral lobes were "active" before puberty, but they are all working in adolescence
D) ​Because the corpus callosum atrophies and disappears during adolescence

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Synaptic pruning, which is the process of eliminating unnecessary neuronal connections, and myelination, which is the process of developing a fatty coating around axons that speeds up neural transmission, are both largely complete by adolescence, allowing for more efficient processing of information.

Why Is It That the Brain of an Adolescent Becomes