In their work, scientists used neuroimaging to analyze brain activity in 3,802 healthy participants — 1,994 women and 1,808 men, aged from one to 90 years. As a result, a detailed map of neural connections was created, allowing them to trace their development at various stages of life.
Researchers identified five main phases of brain development, divided by four significant "turning points," during which neural connections reach a new level of complexity. The first such transition occurs at the age of nine, followed by 32, 66, and 83 years.
Professor Duncan Astle from the University of Cambridge, one of the authors of the study, noted: "Looking back on their lives, many people realize that it consists of different stages. The brain also goes through these stages." Thus, the adolescent period in brain development continues until the age of 32.
So why does the brain reach maturity only by this age? According to the authors, it is at around 30 years old that the architecture of the brain stabilizes, and its various regions become more differentiated. Researchers believe that at this time we reach a "plateau in the development of intelligence and personality."
However, they emphasize that their findings should not be taken too literally. People under 30 do not behave like teenagers — this is about neurobiological changes, not behavior. "We are not claiming that people around the age of 30 will behave like teenagers or that their brains will have teenage characteristics," explained Alexa Mousal, the lead researcher from Cambridge. "In fact, we are talking about changes in developmental patterns."
