Adolescent Brain Development - the Youth Advocacy Division

Adolescent Brain Development
Quick Reference Experts List (DRAFT)
BAIRD, ABIGAIL, Ph.D.
Neuroscientist – Dartmouth College
Phone: (603) 646-9022 Fax: Email: abigail.a.baird@dartmouth.edu
Website: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~psych/people/faculty/a-baird.html
Worked with Deborah Yurgelun-Todd (below) on the 1999 study involving teens’ identification of
emotions. In subsequent experiments, Dr. Baird learned that teens’ correct recognition of emotional
responses significantly improved when the faces were those of people they knew, suggesting that
adolescents are more prone to pay attention to things that are more closely related to them.
BJORK, JAMES, Ph.D.
Researcher – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Phone:
Website:
Fax: Email:
Researcher at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism who used MRI technology to scan
brains of 12 adolescents (aged 12-17) and 12 adults (aged 22-28) comparing their responses to simulated
situations involving risks and rewards. The study found that youth tend to use lower activation of the part
of the brain associated with motivating behavior toward the prospect of rewards. Dr. Bjork notes that the
study “may help to explain why so many young people have difficulty achieving long-term goals.”
FASSLER, DAVID, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor – UVM Medical School, Psychiatry Dept.
Phone: (802) 865-3450
Website:
Fax: Email: David.Fassler@uvm.edu
Adolescent psychiatrist who testified on behalf of the American Psychiatric Association in Nevada in
2003 and New Hampshire in 2004 to try and persuade the state legislatures to abolish the death penalty
for juveniles. Both states abolished the practice after Dr. Fassler’s testimony, which used studies
regarding the development of the adolescent brain as part of the basis of his argument.
GIEDD, JAY, M.D.
Neuroscientist – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Phone: (301) 435-4517
Website:
Fax: Email: GieddJ@intra.nimh.nih.gov
Has performed extensive research involving almost 2,000 kids and adolescents using MRI technology
that demonstrates that adolescent brains are still developing and are different from fully-developed adult
brains. Dr. Giedd has created records of each of the youth he has scanned, taking MRI every two years,
showing the growth and development of the brain over the years. His research shows that especially in
early adolescence, the brain is undergoing drastic changes.