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The Importance Of Pruning Back In Adolescence

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The Importance Of Pruning Back In Adolescence
This pruning back in adolescence allows the brain to keep the synapses that are being used most frequently and make them stronger. Myelin insulates the synapses that are the most used, making them stronger and more efficient. The synapses that aren’t being used are pruned back. There is a large amount of growth in synapses in adolescence, but in order to have strong connections in the most used areas the synapses that are not used are pruned back. The flexibility of the synapses in these early years helps adolescents to acquire new skills more quickly than adults. Behaviors or talents that are more frequently practiced have strengthened synapses. If not used, difficulties for the adolescent become more challenging because the synapses
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