POP QUIZ: How well do you know your teen’s brain?Understanding a teenager’s brain is as complicated as the cosmos.Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you’re faceto face with unchartered territory. But with the help of advancing technology, like the noninvasive fMRI, welearn more about this enigma every day. In fact, there’s so muchnew information being discovered that we thought we’d create a popquiz to see if you can keep up. Here are some of the newest revelations that break the standing myths abouthow adolescents’ brains work. TRUE OR FALSE? There is a link between obesity and academic achievement in teen girls. ANSWER: True. According to a recent study of data from almost 6,000 children,girls who were obese at age 11 had lower academic achievement at ages11, 13, and 16 years old compared to their healthy-weight peers. (Theassociation was not as clear in boys.) SOURCE:www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273854.php TRUE OR FALSE? An 18-year-old boy’s IQ and cardiovascular fitness can determinehis risk of early-onset dementia later. ANSWER: True. Men who had poor cardiovascular fitness at age 18 were 2.5 timesmore likely to develop early-onset dementia later. Men with a lower IQhad four times the risk, and men who had a combination of both poor cardiovascularfitness and low IQ had seven times the risk. SOURCE:www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/273824.php TRUE OR FALSE? Teens with dyslexia tend to reverse letters or read them upside down. ANSWER: False. Dyslexia simply means “trouble with words” and hasnothing to do with reading letters backwards or upside down. The truthis that 88 percent of learning-to-read difficulties are caused by weakphonemic awareness—the cognitive ability to blend, segmentand analyze sounds. SOURCE:www.LearningRx.com/learning-disabilities.htm TRUE OR FALSE? Teenagers are born with the IQ they will have throughout life. ANSWER: False. Thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to build andadapt at any age, our mental abilities and IQ are never “set instone.” SOURCE: www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=40362 TRUE OR FALSE? Teens’ brains are more likely to be greatly affected by neuron lossafter a concussion than adults’ brains. ANSWER: True. Because teenagers’ brains are still developing, even losinga small amount of brain cells can change the trajectory of the brain’sdevelopment. SOURCE: https://grantland.com/features/jonah-lehrer-concussions-adolescents-future-football/ LearningRx specializes in one-on-one brain training. We train cognitiveskills through game-like exercises that are both fun and challenging—andwe do it with a unique personal trainer approach. LearningRx’s customersatisfaction speaks for itself with an average rating of 9.5 out of 10.With 80 centers across the country, LearningRx is a pioneer in the one-on-onebrain training industry. Learn more at www.learningrx.com