Your brain oneverything.

Research-backed articles on what’s actually happening in the adolescent brain.

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What we cover

  • Nicotine

    How vaping rewires adolescent dopamine circuits before the prefrontal cortex is fully developed.

  • Cannabis

    What THC does to endocannabinoid signaling in a brain that won't finish developing until age 25.

  • Stress

    The adolescent HPA axis under chronic stress — and why cortisol exposure matters more during these years than it will later.

  • Sleep

    Why teenagers are biologically wired for late sleep, and what happens to the brain when schools override that clock.

  • ADHD

    The neurobiology behind attention dysregulation — a difference in dopamine and norepinephrine signaling, not a character flaw.

  • Anxiety

    How the adolescent amygdala's heightened threat sensitivity gets mistaken for overreaction.

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Built by a student. Grounded in research.

Synapse is a free public resource built to give teenagers direct access to the brain science that affects their lives. No ads, no agenda, just the facts.