Our ideas, tastes, and abilities to innovate and create are shaped during different stages of life, and scientists have identified specific stages of brain development from childhood to old age.
A research team in Britain has found that the brain completely changes its neural connections five times over a person's lifetime , resulting in expected changes during different age stages.
According to the study published in the scientific journal "Nature Communications," turning points in the brain's neural network occur on average during the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83, and are accompanied by differences in the way we think as we get older.
Researcher Alexa Moseley from the University of Cambridge in Britain says, "These stages reveal important clues about the best tasks the brain can perform at different ages, and when the brain is at its weakest. They also help us understand why brains develop differently at important stages of life, such as facing learning difficulties in children or dementia in the elderly ."
As part of the study, the research team evaluated databases of approximately 3,800 people up to the age of ninety who do not suffer from neurological diseases, and used magnetic resonance imaging to map the neural connections in the brain by tracking the movement of water molecules within brain tissue.
The researchers stated: "Through this technique, we identified four topological turning points over the lifespan, occurring at approximately ages 9, 32, 66 and 83."
Each of the four age groups is characterized by the beginning of a new era of development accompanied by age-related changes in brain structure . According to the study, the longest of these stages is puberty and lasts for more than three decades.
From infancy to childhood: a continuous building process
In the first stage, which begins from the moment of birth until the age of nine, the rate of formation of synapses in the infant's brain decreases, while the most active connections between nerve cells are retained. The first turning point occurs at the age of nine and is accompanied by a sudden change in cognitive functions and an increased risk of mental disorders, according to scientists.
Adolescence and early adulthood: peak efficiency
In the nine-to-32 age group, the human brain enters its second phase, truly reaching its peak. According to the research team, the network of neural connections within the brain is increasingly refined, and this phase is characterized by rapid connectivity and improved cognitive performance. Mosley states that adolescence is the only period in life when neurological efficiency truly increases.
The adult mind: three decades of stability
The research team says that the human brain reaches its peak performance in the early thirties on average, and this stage represents the most significant turning point in our lives.
Mosley stated that "at approximately age 32, we observe the greatest change in neural connections and the most significant change in the developmental process compared to the other turning points."
The exact timing of this stage varies from person to person, and depends in part on cultural, historical and social factors.
Compared to previous stages, the brain structure at this stage is characterized by stability, and it remains in this state for about three decades.
Researchers say this stage is characterized by a stable rise in intelligence levels and personality traits
Mid-sixties: The beginning of premature aging
Around the age of 66, the least obvious turning point in the brain occurs and is not accompanied by radical changes, as the gradual restructuring of brain networks reaches its peak.
Mosley says: "At this age, a person is more susceptible to health problems that affect the brain, such as high blood pressure."
Late aging: the final stage of evolution
The final turning point occurs around the age of 83 when the human brain reaches late aging.
The neural networks begin to decline.
Because there were no participants over the age of 90, the study was only extended to this age group.
The research team hopes that future studies will include larger samples and test the differences between the two species.
"If we understand that the structural development of the brain is not a steady process, but rather several major turning points, then this will help us understand when and how neural connectivity in the brain is susceptible to disruption," says Duncan Astle, head of the research team from the University of Cambridge.
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