Why your brain might never recover from early puberty

Over the past century, the age of puberty has fallen dramatically.

In girls, early puberty is now one of the strongest predictors of developing depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder. The link has long been noticed but poorly understood.

Morgan James has a new answer: early puberty may actually change how the brain is wired. His research points to lasting changes in the systems controlling sleep, motivation, and mood. It may explain why the mental health issues so many young people experience persist long after puberty has ended.