MRI image of a child’s brain. Image: Alexa Mousley, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
Brain networks change course at around 9, 32, 66 and 83 years of age, according to MRI scans of 3,802 people (Nature Communications, 25 November). During childhood, the brain reorganises itself substantially: information less frequently takes the fastest route, consistent with a phase of high plasticity. From adolescence onwards, those routes become more efficient, until around the age of 32 this reverses and networks specialise more strongly. Around 66 and 83 years of age, the organisation changes again, with less coherence between brain regions. (SvS)
See also:
–Scientists identify five ages of the human brain over a lifetime – Website University of Cambridge, 25 November 2025
PHOTO: DR. ALEXA MOUSLEY