US EditionThe human brain goes through five phases, with adolescence lasting until age 32: study
The study analyzed MRI scans of 3,802 people and identified four brain wiring turning points that divide life into five epochs, with adolescence lasting until about age 32.
- A new Cambridge study identified five brain-development epochs and the study's four turning points at ages nine, 32, 66, and 83, based on nearly 4,000 scans, showing adolescence extends into the early 30s.
- Led by Dr Alexa Moseley, the Cambridge team analysed MRI diffusion scans from 3,802 people aged 0–90 at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.
- During childhood, the brain shows network consolidation with synaptic pruning, adolescence features rising neural efficiency until 32, and early ageing marks reduced connectivity and modularity.
- Practically, the findings provide a new template for brain function and vulnerability, helping target interventions and treatment windows, Duncan Astle said, linking neurodevelopmental, mental health and neurological conditions to brain wiring.
- Adulthood provides a long phase of stability with a plateau in intelligence and personality, but data showed gradual reorganisation with aging and late-age sample limitations, the study found.
80 Articles
80 Articles
Human brain ages at four major turning points: 9, 32, 66, 83
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified five distinct eras of brain aging from childhood to old age.boonstudio/Getty ImagesScientists have pinpointed five different "eras" of brain aging, from childhood to old age.The eras include a prolonged "adolescent" brain phase that lasts from about age 9 to 32."This is a very cool study," another brain scientist said.Your brain goes through five distinct life stages as you age, with a ma…
Your Brain Goes Through 5 Distinct Epochs, Massive Study Finds
The human brain is not a hard-wired machine but a malleable organ that is regularly re-shaping itself. Neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK and the University of Pittsburgh in the US have now identified four major turning points in brain wiring between birth and death. Like chapters of our lives, each of these neurological 'epochs' marks a new era of development or decline. "Looking back, many of us feel our lives have been c…
Brains Have 5 ‘Major Epochs’ in a Lifetime: Study
During a lifetime, there are a handful of moments when the structure and function of the brain change significantly, researchers said in a new study. The moments come around the ages of 9, 32, 66, and 83, researchers with the University of Cambridge and University of Pittsburgh said in the study, published on Nov. 25 by Nature Communications. That leaves five “major epochs,” beginning from birth to around age 9. During that phase, the most activ…
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