Research has identified five clear ages of the human brain over a lifetime, with major turning points around the ages of nine, 32, 66 and 83.
The end of adolescence was ‘harder to pin down scientifically’ than puberty, but ‘adolescent-like changes in brain structure end around the early thirties’.
Researchers compared the brains of 3802 people between0 and 90 years of age using datasets of MRI diffusion scans, which map neural connections.
‘This study is the first to identify major phases of brain wiring across a human lifespan,’ said lead author Dr Alexa Mousley. ‘It could help us understand why some brains develop differently at key points in life, whether it be learning difficulties in childhood or dementia in our later years.’
Study Nature Communications
Image | ISTOCK
