APA Citation
Tottenham, N., & Galván, A. (2016). Stress and the Adolescent Brain. *Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews*, 70, 217-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.030
Summary
Developmental neuroscientists Nim Tottenham and Adriana Galván review how stress affects the adolescent brain. Adolescence is a period of heightened sensitivity to stress, with the prefrontal cortex still developing while emotion-processing regions like the amygdala are highly reactive. Early life stress can alter the developmental trajectory, affecting stress reactivity, emotional regulation, and mental health outcomes. The review examines how timing of stress exposure matters for brain development and long-term functioning.
Why This Matters for Survivors
If you experienced narcissistic abuse during childhood or adolescence, this research explains why those experiences had such lasting impact. The developing brain is particularly vulnerable to stress, and abuse during these periods can shape how your brain processes emotions and threats for years afterward. Understanding this helps explain why early experiences with narcissistic parents have such enduring effects.
What This Research Establishes
Adolescence is a sensitive period for stress effects. The still-developing brain is particularly vulnerable to stress, with lasting effects on structure and function of emotion-related circuits.
Brain development timing matters. Different regions develop at different times, so stress during specific periods affects specific systems. The prefrontal cortex continues developing into the mid-20s.
Early stress alters developmental trajectory. Chronic stress during development doesn’t just cause temporary effects—it can shape how brain circuits develop, creating lasting changes in stress reactivity and emotional regulation.
Plasticity offers hope. While early stress creates persistent patterns, brain plasticity continues throughout life. Intervention can help rewire maladaptive patterns, particularly when matched to developmental stage.
Why This Matters for Survivors
Understanding lasting effects. If you grew up with a narcissistic parent, your brain developed in that environment. The hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, or dysregulation you experience has neurobiological roots—it’s not character weakness.
Why childhood experiences persist. The developing brain is shaped by experience. Stress during sensitive periods creates patterns that are more persistent than stress experienced after development is complete.
Validation of difficulty. Changing patterns established during development is harder than changing those formed later. This validates why recovery takes time and effort—you’re working against neural patterns laid down when your brain was forming.
Hope through plasticity. The brain can change throughout life. Understanding the neurobiology of developmental stress points toward effective interventions that work with brain plasticity.
Clinical Implications
Consider developmental timing. Assessment should explore when stress occurred, as timing affects which systems were impacted and how persistent effects may be.
Use developmentally-informed treatment. Interventions should account for how developmental stress shapes the brain differently than adult-onset stress.
Address neurobiological patterns. Treatment may need to target stress reactivity and emotional regulation at neurobiological levels, not just cognitive understanding.
Leverage ongoing plasticity. The brain retains capacity for change. Interventions that promote neuroplasticity can help rewire patterns established during development.
How This Research Is Used in the Book
Tottenham and Galván’s developmental neuroscience appears in chapters on how narcissistic environments affect children:
“Research by Nim Tottenham and Adriana Galván reveals why growing up with a narcissistic parent leaves such lasting marks: the developing brain is exquisitely sensitive to stress, particularly during childhood and adolescence. Your brain formed in that environment, shaping circuits for threat detection and emotional regulation. The hypervigilance you carry isn’t a choice—it’s neural architecture built during development. Understanding this validates your experience while also pointing toward neuroplasticity-based healing.”
Historical Context
This 2016 review synthesized two decades of research showing that adolescence, like early childhood, represents a critical period for brain development. Earlier views treated the brain as largely formed by childhood; research increasingly shows the teenage brain is actively reorganizing, creating both vulnerability and opportunity.
The work has implications for understanding why narcissistic abuse during childhood and adolescence has such lasting effects—and why intervention during these periods can be particularly effective in reshaping developmental trajectories.
Further Reading
- Tottenham, N., & Galván, A. (2016). Stress and the adolescent brain: Amygdala-prefrontal cortex circuitry and ventral striatum as developmental targets. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 70, 217-227.
- Casey, B.J., et al. (2008). The adolescent brain. Developmental Review, 28(1), 62-77.
- Lupien, S.J., et al. (2009). Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 434-445.
- Teicher, M.H., & Samson, J.A. (2016). Annual research review: Enduring neurobiological effects of childhood abuse and neglect. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(3), 241-266.
About the Author
Nim Tottenham, PhD is Professor of Psychology at Columbia University, where she directs the Developmental Affective Neuroscience Lab. Her research focuses on how early experiences shape brain development, particularly in children who have experienced adversity.
Adriana Galván, PhD is Professor of Psychology at UCLA and director of the Developmental Neuroscience Lab, studying adolescent brain development and decision-making.
Historical Context
This 2016 review synthesized growing evidence that adolescence represents a critical period for brain development, not just childhood. Understanding that the teenage brain is still developing—and particularly sensitive to stress—has implications for how we understand the lasting effects of abuse during these years.
Frequently Asked Questions
The adolescent brain is undergoing major reorganization—the prefrontal cortex is still developing while emotion centers like the amygdala are highly active. This creates heightened emotional reactivity with still-developing regulatory capacity, making teens particularly vulnerable to stress effects.
Early stress can alter the developmental trajectory of brain regions involved in emotion and stress regulation. The amygdala may become hyperreactive, while prefrontal regulatory systems may develop differently. These changes can persist into adulthood.
Yes. Different brain regions develop at different times, so the same stressor can have different effects depending on when it occurs. Stress during sensitive periods when a region is actively developing tends to have more lasting impact.
The brain retains plasticity throughout life, so recovery is possible. However, early stress can create patterns that are more difficult to change than those formed later. Intervention during adolescence may be particularly effective given ongoing brain development.
Your developing brain was shaped by that environment. Chronic stress during childhood and adolescence affects how brain circuits develop, creating patterns of stress reactivity and emotional processing that persist. This isn't weakness—it's neurobiology.
Key regions include the amygdala (threat detection), prefrontal cortex (regulation, planning), hippocampus (memory), and their connections. Stress can alter both the structure and function of these regions during development.
Adolescents show prolonged stress hormone responses compared to adults, meaning stress exposure has longer-lasting physiological effects. Combined with still-developing regulatory systems, this makes teens more vulnerable to stress-related changes.
Understanding that stress effects are neurobiological, not just psychological, validates the difficulty of change while also pointing to neuroplasticity-based interventions. Treatment can help rewire patterns established during development, though it takes time and appropriate approaches.