Interestingly,
the myelination occurs last in the prefrontal cortex and finalizes sometime in
the late twenties and early thirties and turns from gray to white. These
transformations have profound impact on the assertive and attentive behaviors
described in this book because the prefrontal cortex, or orbitofrontal cortex,
begins to manifest these qualities:
• Impulse inhibition
• Empathy
• Goal setting
• Initiating appropriate behavior
• Insight
• Modifying behavior to accommodate
situations
• Planning
• Self-control
• Strategizing
Children
often respond to their world in an impulsive manner without considering the
ramifications of their behavior. Their emotional midbrain section undergoes the
myelination before the prefrontal cortex, which accounts for why children
through adolescence will respond to situations impetuously rather than with
some reflection.
Bartzokis
G., Beckson M., Lu P., Nuechterlein K., Edwards N., Mintz J., (May 2001).
Age-related changes in frontal and temporal lobe volumes in men: a magnetic
resonance imaging study. Arch Gen
Psychiatry. 58(5):461-5.
Gudrais,
E., (2001). Modern Myelination: The Brain at Midlife, Harvard Magazine, 103: 5, 9.
