THE POWER OF THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN:

TECHNICAL TERMS 

with Frances Jensen, MD, FACP

■ Definitions 

● Bipolar disorder 

► Bipolar disorder is characterized by uncommon shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the 

ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

i

● Cortical development 

► The development of the cerebral cortex.

ii The cerebral 

cortex is a vital layer of tissue that coats the surface of the 

brain. Most of the actual information processing in the 

brain takes place in the cerebral cortex.iii

● Depression

► Major depressive disorder or clinical depression is a mood disorder with severe symptoms that

affect how a person feels, thinks, and goes about daily activities. The symptoms of depression must 

be present for at least two weeks to diagnose.iv

● Dopamine 

► A neurotransmitter (or brain chemical that communicates information throughout our brain and 

body) present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of 

pleasure. At normal levels, this system rewards our natural behaviors. Overstimulating the system 

with drugs produces euphoric effects that strongly reinforce drug use and “teach” the user to repeat 

it.

v

 

● Frontal Lobe

► One of the four divisions of each cerebral hemisphere. The frontal lobe is important for controlling 

movement, thinking, and judgment.

vi

● Melatonin

► A hormone produced by our bodies that stimulates sleep.vii

● Myelin 

► A protein that wraps the nerve cells and increases the 

speed that impulses are transmitted from cell to cell.

viii

● Nerve impulses 

► An electrical signal that is carried along a nerve fiber.

ix

● Neurons

► A unique type of cell found in the brain and body that is designed to process and transmit 

information.x
THE POWER OF THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN

Technical Terms 2 

● Prefrontal cortex 

► An area of the brain that help us control 

impulses, makes decisions, consider the 

consequences of our behavior, and plan 

ahead. This is the last area of the brain to 

develop.

xi

● Schizophreniaxii

► A chronic and severe disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts.

● Stimuli 

► A thing or event that creates a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue.

xiii

● Synapses 

► The space between neurons where neurotransmitters (the brain chemical that communicates

information throughout our brain and body) are released to create nerve impulses.

xiv

● Tracts

► Bundles of nerve fibers.

xv

i National Institute of Mental Health. Bipolar Disorder. Available at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolardisorder/index.shtml

ii Leventer, R. J., Guerrini, R., & Dobyns, W. B. (2008). Malformations of cortical development and 

epilepsy. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 10(1), 47.

iii National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Brain Basics: Know your Brain. Available at

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/know_your_brain.htm#cortex

iv NIMH » Depression. Available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml#part_145398

v National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. Available at

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain

vi The Brain—Glossary, Page 1. Available at

https://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/addiction/other/glossary/glossary.html#ae

vii Melatonin: In Depth | NCCIH. Available at https://nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin#hed2

viii Lodish, H., Berk, A., Zipursky, S. L., Matsudaira, P., Baltimore, D., & Darnell, J. Molecular Cell 

Biology. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21607/

ix Lodish, H., Berk, A., Zipursky, S. L., Matsudaira, P., Baltimore, D., & Darnell, J. Molecular Cell 

Biology. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21607/

x Lodish, H., Berk, A., Zipursky, S. L., Matsudaira, P., Baltimore, D., & Darnell, J. Molecular Cell 

Biology. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21607/

xi Funahashi, S., & Andreau, J. M. (2013). Prefrontal cortex and neural mechanisms of executive 

function. Journalof Physiology-Paris, 107(6), 471-482. 

xii National Institute of Mental Health. Schizophrenia. Available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophreniabooklet-12-2015/index.shtml

xiii Stimulus - definition of stimulus in English | Oxford Dictionaries. Available at

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/stimulus

xiv Lodish, H., Berk, A., Zipursky, S. L., Matsudaira, P., Baltimore, D., & Darnell, J. Molecular Cell 

Biology. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21607/

xv Nervous system - The vertebrate system. Available at https://www.britannica.com/science/nervous-system/The-vertebratesystem#ref606548