In case if you ever wondered why the teenage world seems to exist in an arena of topsy-turvy mood swings and turmoil, scientists at the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Downstate Medical Centre may have come up with the answer.

As a matter of fact, in an article published in the current edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers say they’ve discovered that the hormone THP - which more or less acts as a tranquiliser in stress cases - does exactly the opposite for those going through puberty.

A brain receptor known as GABA-A acts exactly the opposite in teenage brains compared to how it receives the THP hormone in adult brains. Generally speaking, instead of calming a person during a time of high anxiety, the GABA-A receptor appears to increase a teenager’s stress, the researchers found.

What makes it act this way still require some more analysis, the researchers say, but the theory is indeed that adolescent “raging hormones” may play a role.

Via: ABC