Abstract: Brain maturity is a dynamic process, the development of higher nervous activity lies mainly in the second decade: the period of adolescence. Adolescence is a period of rapid development in one’s behavior, cognition and brain. The enhancement of teenagers’ cognitive capabilities is based on the maturity of nervous system, e.g. attention, impulse-controlling, planning, decision-making, etc. Neuroimaging studies indicated that the development of teen’s brain undergoes synaptic pruning and myelinization. The maturity of white matter and gray matter has different development track in adolescents. The maturity sequence of the teen’s cerebral cortex is associated with the development of cognitive function which, however, is completed in adolescent. In this process, the development of one’s brain will be affected by emotion, experience, environment and other factors.

Key words: brain development, teenager, cognition, neuroimaging