Between the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence, there is a critical window of time referred to as «peripuberty.» This transitional period involves developmental changes in both fat tissue and in the brain in which both can be re-programmed by exposure to stress, which can cause long-lasting changes in the size and composition of fat cells (adipocytes) as well as social behavior.
Connecting stress, weight, and social anxiety in early adolescence
Between the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence, there is a critical window of time referred to as "peripuberty." This transitional period involves developmental changes in both fat tissue and in the brain in which both can be re-programmed by exposure to stress, which can cause long-lasting changes in the size and composition of fat cells (adipocytes) as well as social behavior.