by Lady Wu » Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:16 pm
Just to put it out there (since I just finish writing the last exam for my biopsychology class):
The prefrontal cortex area of your brain (the part of your brain that makes good decisions, gives you self-control, helps you think through difficult problems and makes you active and smart) doesn't finish building itself until you're about 25 years old.
So, if you're under that age and considering using a substance that is known to mess with how your brain works, just keep in mind that:
- The decision-making mechanism of your brain isn't in its best state yet; and
- While scientists don't know for sure how much of what substance is going to affect your brain how, you might want to be careful with anything that can potentially mess with your brain getting put together properly.
Also, for the ladies (and guys with girlfriends/wives):
No amount of alcohol during pregnancy is safe. The most crucial part of brain development happens before most women realize they're preggers, so you could be doing stuff to the fetus without realizing. Alcohol makes the neurons in the developing brain go haywire and move beyond where the brain boundary should be, and get all scrambled outside. This leads to fetal alcohol syndrome. So if you're doing anything that could remotely result in a child, it's best to abstain from alcohol.
Ok, done with my soapbox.
"Whatever you do, don't fall off the bridge! It'll be a pain to try to get back up again." - Private, DW 8