Adolescents who stop the subject at age 16 show a reduction in a critical chemical for neural development

Quitting maths at age of 16 may have an adverse effect on brain development

Teenagers who stuck with maths at A-level had higher levels of brain chemical

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid important for memory, learning and problem-solving

Researchers led by University of Oxford scanned brains of 87 A-level students

After years of wrestling with the complexities of algebra, fractions and mental arithmetic, some teenagers may be only too keen to dump maths at the earliest opportunity.

But a new study suggests that quitting the subject at the age of 16 may have an adverse effect on brain development.