Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T06:59:04.505Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Physical and cognitive changes associated with puberty

from Part II - Scientific underpinnings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2009

Brett McDermott
By
Victor M. Fornari  and
Ida F. Dancyger
Edited by
Tony Jaffa
Brett McDermott
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Victor M. Fornari
Affiliation:
North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, USA
Ida F. Dancyger
Affiliation:
North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, USA
Tony Jaffa
Affiliation:
Phoenix Centre, Cambridge
Get access

Summary

Puberty is perhaps the most important of life transitions. The changes that occur as a result of puberty are both dramatic and universal. It is a process of rapid and simultaneous transformation in biological, social and psychological dimensions of development. Although it may appear that puberty is a discreet event that punctuates the shift from childhood to adulthood, in reality it is a part in a series of events that begins at the time of conception. Our goal in this chapter is to discuss the physical and cognitive changes characteristic of pubertal maturation. New evidence suggests that there are sex differences regarding the biology of puberty that were not previously understood, and this too will be reviewed (Fechner, 2003).

Fetal life

Physical maturation and reproductive functioning are controlled by the endocrine system that operates first through the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA system) and then through the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis (Grumbach & Styne, 1998). During the prenatal period, it is the exposure to androgens that organizes the reproductive system (Reiter & Grumbach, 1982). The hypothalamic–gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator is initially active during fetal life and early infancy, but is then suppressed during childhood (see Fig. 5.1).

Differences in male and female patterns of gonadotropin secretion have been described during fetal life (Beck-Peccoz et al., 1991). Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are produced by the gonadotropic cells of the pituitary gland and stimulate the ovaries and testes to secrete oestrogen and testosterone, respectively.

Keywords

adolescencecognitive changematurationphysical changepuberty
Type
Chapter
Information
Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents , pp. 57 - 69
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Archibald, A. B., Graber, J. A. & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Pubertal processes and physiological growth in adolescence. In Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence, ed. Adams, G. R. & Berzonsky, M. D.Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 24–47.
Beck, A. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
Beck-Peccoz, P., Padmanabhan, V., Baggiani, A. M.et al. (1991). Maturation of hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal function in normal human fetuses: circulating levels of gonadotropins, their common alpha subunit and free testosterone, and discrepancy between immunological and biological activities of circulating follicle-stimulating hormone. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 73, 525–32.Google Scholar
Blos, P. (1962). On Adolescence. New York: The Free Press.
Bourgeois, J. P., Jatreboff, P. J. & Rakic, P. (1989). Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 86, 4297–301.
Brooks-Gunn, J. & Paikoff, R. (1997). Sexuality and developmental transitions during adolescence. In Health Risks and Developmental Transitions during Adolescence, ed. Schulenberg, J., Maggs, J. L. & Hurrelmann, K.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 190–219.
Brooks-Gunn, J. & Reiter, E. O. (1990). The role of pubertal processes in the early adolescent transition. In At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent, ed. Feldman, S. & Elliott, G.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 16–53.
Brooks-Gunn, J. & Warren, M. P. (1985). Measuring physical status and timing in early adolescence: a developmental perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 14, 163–89.Google Scholar
Cutler, G. & Loriaux, D. L. (1980). Adrenarche and its relationship to the onset of puberty. Federation Proceedings, 39, 2384–90.Google Scholar
Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York: Norton.
Fechner, P. Y. (2003). The biology of puberty: new developments in sex differences. In Gender Differences at Puberty, ed. Hayward, C.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 17–28.
Ge, X., Conger, R. D. & Elder, G. H. (2001). The relation between puberty and psychological distress in adolescent boys. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11, 49–70.Google Scholar
Gemelli, R. (1996). Adolescent phase of mental development: age 12 years to age 19 years. In Normal Child and Adolescent Development, ed. Gemelli, R.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, pp. 445–552.
Giedd, J. N., Blumenthal, J., Jeffries, N. O.et al. (1999). Brain development during childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Neuroscience, 2, 861–3.Google Scholar
Graber, J. A. (1997). Is psychopathology associated with the timing of pubertal development?Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1768–76.Google Scholar
Graber, J. A., Brooks-Gunn, J. & Warren, M. P. (1995). The antecedents of menarcheal age: heredity, family environment, and stressful life events. Child Development, 66, 346–59.Google Scholar
Graber, J. A., Petersen, A. C. & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1996). Pubertal processes: methods, measures, and models. In Transitions through Adolescence: Interpersonal Domains and Context, ed. Graber, J. A., Brooks-Gunn, J. & Petersen, A. C.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 23–53.
Grumbach, M. M. & Styne, D. (1992). Puberty: ontogeny, neuroendocrinology, physiology, and disorders. In Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 8th edition, ed. Wilson, J. D. & Foster, D. W.Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, pp. 1139–221.
Grumbach, M. M. & Styne, D. M. (1998). Puberty: ontogeny, neuroendocrinology, physiology, and disorders. In Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, ed. Wilson, J. D., Foster, D. W. & Kronenberg, H. M.Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, pp. 1509–625.
Hammer, L., Wilson, D., Litt, I. F.et al. (1991). Impact of pubertal development on body fat distribution among White, Hispanic and Asian female adolescents. Journal of Pediatrics, 118, 975–80.Google Scholar
Hayward, C. (2003). Gender Differences at Puberty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Herman-Giddens, M. E., Slora, E. J., Wasserman, R. C.et al. (1997). Secondary sexual characteristics and menses in young girls seen in office practice: a study from the Pediatric Research Office Settings Network. Pediatrics, 99, 505–12.Google Scholar
Herman-Giddens, M. E., Slora, E. J., Wasserman, R. C.et al. (1999). Reexamination of the age limit for defining when puberty is precocious in girls in the United States: implications for evaluation and treatment. Pediatrics, 104, 936–41.Google Scholar
Inhelder, B. & Piaget, J. (1958). The Growth of Logical Thinking. New York: Basic Books.
Katchadourian, H. (1977). The Biology of Adolescence. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.
Keating, D. P. & Clark, L. V. (1980). Development of physical and social reasoning in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 16, 23–30.Google Scholar
King, R. K. (2002). Adolescence. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3rd edition, ed. Lewis, M. New York: Lippincott Williams & Williams, pp. 332–42.
Kleim, J. A., Lussnig, E., Schwarz, E. R., Comery, T. A. & Greenough, W. T. (1996). Synaptogenesis and fos expression in the motor cortex of the adult rat after complex motor skill acquisition. Journal of Neuroscience, 16, 4529–35.Google Scholar
Kuhn, D. (2000). Adolescent thought processes. In Encyclopedia of Psychology, ed. Kazdin, A. E. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, Oxford University Press, pp. 52–9.
Marshall, W. A. & Tanner, J. M. (1974). Puberty. In Scientific Foundations of Pediatrics, ed. Douvis, J. D. & Drobeing, J.London: Heinemann, pp. 124–51.
Meichenbaum, D. (1977). Cognitive-behavior Modification. New York: Plenum Press.
Ojeda, S. R. & Bilger, M. (2000). Neuroendocrine regulation of puberty. In Neuroendocrinology in Physiology and Medicine, ed. Conn, P. M. & Freeman, M. E.New Jersey: Humana Press, p. 212.
Petersen, A. C. (1985). Pubertal development as a cause of disturbance: myths, realities, and unanswered questions. Genetic, Social and General Psychology Monographs, 111, 205–32.Google Scholar
Piaget, J. (1969). The intellectual development of the adolescent. In Adolescence: Psychosocial Perspectives, ed. Caplan, G. & Lebovici, S.New York: Basic Books, pp. 22–26.
Reiter, E. O. & Grumbach, M. M. (1982). Neuroendocrine control mechanisms and the onset of puberty. Annual Review of Physiology, 44, 595–613.Google Scholar
Rogol, A. D., Roemmich, J. N. & Clark, P. A. (2002). Growth at puberty. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 192–200.Google Scholar
Sarigiani, P. A. & Petersen, A. C. (2000). Puberty and biological maturation. In Encyclopedia of Psychology, ed. Kazdin, A. E.Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, Oxford University Press, pp. 39–46.
Silbereisen, R. K., Petersen, A. C., Albrecht, H. T. & Kracke, B. (1989). Maturational timing and the development of problem behavior: longitudinal studies in adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 9, 247–68.Google Scholar
Sowell, E. R., Thompson, P. M., Holmes, C. J., Jernigan, T. L. & Toga, A. W. (1999). In vivo evidence for post-adolescent brain maturation in frontal and striatal regions. Neuroscience, 2, 859–61.Google Scholar
Spear, L. P. (2000). The adolescent brain and age-related behavioral manifestations. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 24, 417–63.Google Scholar
Styne, D. M. & Grumbach, M. M. (1991). Disorders of puberty in the male and female. In Reproductive Endocrinology: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management, ed. Yen, S. S. C. & Jaffe, R. B.Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, pp. 511–54.
Tanner, J. M. (1962). Growth at Adolescence. New York: Lippincott.
Thompson, P. M., Giedd, J. N., Woods, R. P., MacDonald, D., Evans, A. C. & Toga, A. W. (2000). Growth patterns in the developing brain detected by using continuum mechanical tensor maps. Nature, 404, 190–3.Google Scholar
Williams, J. M. & Dunlop, L. C. (1999). Pubertal timing and self-reported delinquency among male adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 157–71.Google Scholar
Yurgelen-Todd, D., Killlgore, W. D. S. & Cintron, C. B. (2003). Cognitive correlates of medial temporal lobe development across adolescence: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 96, 3–17.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×