In a groundbreaking study, scientists have identified five distinct periods of structural development in one of the most comprehensive studies to date.
The research, which was conducted on the brain scans of almost 4,000 people between the ages of 1 and 90, mapped neural pathways and how those pathways develop throughout our lives.
First, the five broad stages are broken down by four central turning points, in which brain development follows a distinct trajectory of approximately nine, 32, 66, and 83 years.
In this regard, a neuroinformatics researcher at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the study said: “Understanding that the brain’s structural journey is not a matter of steady progress, but rather of a few key turning points, we can identify when and how its wiring is vulnerable to disruption.”
The early thirties mark the brain’s final shift into adult mode, which then lasts for more than thirty years.
A third turning point around age 66 marks the beginning of accelerated brain aging, representative of the late-life brain, which makes a sharp transition around age 83.
The scientists determined brain organization using twelve different measures, including the efficacy and sectionalization of wiring, and whether the brain relies heavily on nerve centers or has a broader network of connections.
In the second “age” of the brain, the white matter continues to grow in volume, causing an acceleration of brain organizations. This era resulted in increased efficiency of the whole brain connection.
The significant paradigm shift can be observed around age 32, and although the research has not stated this categorically, major life events such as parenthood may play a crucial role in some of the changes.
It is pertinent to note that when a woman gives birth, her brain changes and it is reasonable to assume that there could be a connection between this change and the structural epochs.
The brain architecture shows signs of leveling out compared to previous phases and corresponds to a ‘plateau in intelligence and personality’.
The latter stages were defined by a decline in brain connectivity, which is believed to be linked to aging, and the study effectively underlines that social maturity begins earlier, while neuroscientific maturity is at a later milestone.
