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New Research Shows Adulthood Starts After 32 As Scientists Shed Light On Five Phases Of Human Brain
Scientists from the University of Cambridge said the brain goes through five distinct phases of life and the key turning points appear at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83.The study was conducted on 4,000 people up to the age of 90. Scientists ran scans to find connections between their brain cells.They showed that the brain stays in the adolescent phase until a person’s early thirties, until the time people “peak”.They said that the results can help us...
By Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Updated 3 weeks ago
Scientists from the University of Cambridge said the brain goes through five distinct phases of life and the key turning points appear at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83.
The study was conducted on 4,000 people up to the age of 90. Scientists ran scans to find connections between their brain cells.
They showed that the brain stays in the adolescent phase until a person’s early thirties, until the time people “peak”.
They said that the results can help us understand why risk of mental health disorders and dementia varies through life.
What Are The Five Brain Phases?
The research, accessed by broadcaster BBC, showed that the brain is constantly changing in response to new knowledge and experience but outlines that it is “not one smooth pattern from birth to death”.
- Childhood – from birth to age nine
- Adolescence – from nine to 32
- Adulthood – from 32 to 66
- Early ageing – from 66 to 83
- Late ageing – from 83 onwards
“The brain rewires across the lifespan. It’s always strengthening and weakening connections and it’s not one steady pattern – there are fluctuations and phases of brain rewiring,” Dr Alexa Mousley was quoted as saying by the broadcasters.
Researchers said that some people will reach these landmarks earlier or later but pointed out that it was striking how clearly these ages stood out in the data.