Study Identifies Five Developmental Epochs in Human Brain Organization with Turning Points at Ages 9, 32, 66, and 83
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Summary
A comprehensive study analyzing brain scans of nearly 4,000 people from infancy to old age has identified five major developmental epochs in human brain organization. The research reveals four pivotal turning points at approximately ages 9, 32, 66, and 83, where brain wiring patterns shift to different trajectories. The study suggests that adult brain mode doesn't fully begin until the early 30s, challenging previous assumptions about brain development timelines.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledScientists have identified five major 'epochs' of human brain development in one of the most comprehensive studies to date of how neural wiring changes from infancy to old age.
The study, based on the brain scans of nearly 4,000 people aged under one to 90, mapped neural connections and how they evolve during our lives.
This revealed five broad phases, split up by four pivotal 'turning points' in which brain organisation moves on to a different trajectory, at around the ages of nine, 32, 66 and 83 years.
Looking back, many of us feel our lives have been characterised by different phases.
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