The Process of Myelination
Myelination is like insulation for your brain. Myelin is a fatty substance that covers the axons (the part of a neuron that carries messages from the dendrites to the axon branches and off to other neurons). Just like with electrical wiring, the signal travels best when it is insulated. When myelin covers the axon sheath, the impulses traveling through are more efficient.
The process of myelination occurs from back to front in your brain. The brain stem, cerebellum, and occipital lobes are the first to be insulated. The process continues through the brain until it reaches the frontal lobe. This occurs around the time of adolescence - and up to the age of 30.
Why is that important? That means that other parts of your brain develop fully before the frontal lobe - the part of your brain that controls critical thinking, planning, organization, decision making, etc. You get the point.