Tests in mice show potential for reversing the slowdown in learning that comes with puberty
By Stuart Fox Posted 03.19.2010 at 12:02 pm 16 Comments

Where's Pinky? NARF! Medical College of Georgia, via Physorg

Anyone who's tried to learn a second language knows that the earlier in life you start, the easier it is to learn. Now, a scientist at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY) has not only discovered why learning becomes much harder after puberty, but also how to fix it. The SUNY team found that learning difficulty resulted from the proliferation of special chemical receptors during adolescence, and that the stress steroid THP could reverse the problem.

Sheryl Smith, the lead SUNY researcher, first discovered the learning impairment receptors in 2007, but only recently did she link the spread of the receptors during puberty to increased difficulty learning. Smith tested mice on a rotating walkway containing an electrified section of track. Young mice and older mice learned to avoid the electric shock after only one pass. The pubescent mice, however, failed to learn even after multiple passes, shocking themselves again and again.

Later, Smith began providing the mice with THP, a hormone that lowers stress in young and adult mice, but actually increases stress in teenage mice. Surprisingly, the increased stress counteracted the learning disability, allowing the adolescent mice to learn to avoid electrocution much faster.

This research holds significant promise for human teenagers with learning disabilities, but even Smith cautioned that it will be some time before this research can be applied to humans. Of course, considering how stressful high school life can be already, I'm not sure any teens would volunteer.

[New Scientist]

16 Comments

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omaracoustic
03/19/10 at 12:47 pm

When I first saw the picture, I thought someone had taught a mouse to read. Lol.

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richiej615
03/19/10 at 1:05 pm

Really? omaracoustic, Really?

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omaracoustic
03/19/10 at 3:03 pm

@richiej615

Hell yeah.

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twobrain
03/19/10 at 6:23 pm

Between this new potential drug pathway and the 10% increased cognitive function provided by deep brain stimulation we may have genius become the new standard.

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Soroshi
03/20/10 at 2:32 am

So if teenagers have a natural learning impairment then does that explain why so many people in high school seam extraordinarily dumb? (Like they don't understand something after it has been explained 5 times)

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wavyj
03/20/10 at 2:03 pm

@Soroshi

"Seams" like someone needs to go back to school themselves.

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NOM
03/21/10 at 7:50 pm

I'm in favour of using electric shocks to train teenagers.

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Brian P.
03/23/10 at 10:23 am

Good one NOM! I have two teenagers that could benefit from that. LOL! It might give them the stress they need to learn.

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redaustin
03/24/10 at 7:35 am

Can I see a video of the testing! And i think i already have enough stress its just my ADHD.

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taflic
03/24/10 at 12:17 pm

O_O i am a teenager and id rather not have that testing on me lmao

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redaustin
03/24/10 at 5:46 pm

Can I see a video of the testing! And i think i already have enough stress its just my ADHD. and this is what kids like me sing
As time goes by.
I learned that myspace is a dreat responsibility.
And I realize all the thing I havn't done.
Affect all the people around me.
So I wanted to take this time out.
And apologize for all the things.
I havn't done and things that didn't accur yet.
And things I don't want to take
Responsibility for.

I'm sorry that my friend request has grown.
Takes about an hour to approve 'em alone.
I'm sorry for the times that I had to go.
You were online and i did not know.
That you were at home just waiting for me.
To respond to every message and comment I see.
I'm sorry for the times I would neglect.
I'm sorry for the times that I did not check.
I'm sorry for the things I havn't done.
I'm a ninja, gangstah,emo,nerd,ashian.
I'm sorry that I'm bauy and always away.
I got a lot to do, what more can I say?
Cause I'm doing homework like everyday.
I'm sorry that I had to write that fricken essay.
I know I didn't take all your request.
Like how to be gay, or how to be a prep.

I understand that you get pissed off.
And it's not you fault, I know.
All the hate mail I get from you.
Just because i respond too slow.
I should apologize for singing this song.
It sucks and makes a fool out of me.
I would respond to you right not.
But I'd forget cause my A.D.D.

You can blame my A.D.D.
For me being so busy.
It's not that I am lazy.
It's just cause my A.D.D.
Said you can bklame my A.D.D.
For me being so busy.
It's not that I am lazy.
It's just cause my A.D.D.

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redaustin
03/24/10 at 5:47 pm

not the 1st part though

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redaustin
03/24/10 at 5:54 pm

i love that song. Blame my A.D.D. by Ryan Higa A.k.a. Nigahiga

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genedoug
03/25/10 at 10:50 pm

Somebody should tell the writer that shock is not electrocution unless it causes death.

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mkp
06/09/10 at 4:58 am

It’s happy news for me that Drug Treatment Could Sharpen Adult Brains. I too admit that in studying second language the earlier in life you start, the easier it is to learn. I started studying second language from 4th standard and found quite difficult in learning it at that time. But my son has started learning second language from 1st standard itself and is learning quite easily. This proves that as age increases our sharpness of our brain also decreases. So it is good to hear that our sharpness can be brought back some drug treatment. I wish Sheryl Smith’s researches should become a success in human beings too and so I too can be sharp again in the future.Medical alerts

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HolisticDNA
12/11/11 at 9:08 am

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