Adolescence lasts until age 32, in the brain at least |
According to a new analysis of brain scans from 4,216 people, the transition from adolescence to adulthood doesn’t happen in your early twenties. It happens at 32.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge identified four major turning points in brain development — at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83 — by analyzing how efficiently different brain regions communicate and reorganize throughout life. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that until age 32, the brain operates in its most elastic, efficient phase, forming new neural connections with relative ease. It’s also the period when mental disorders are most likely to emerge.
“In my experience performing complex brain surgeries across all age groups, this research provides scientific validation for what we observe clinically,” said neurosurgeon Angela Bohnen. “I’ve seen optimal operations in surgery patients who display smoother convalescence by around age 32.”
After that age, everything shifts. The efficiency of rapid communication between brain regions begins declining. Instead of operating as one highly integrated network, it increasingly organizes into specialized modules that handle specific functions. This trade-off sacrifices speed for stability.
And while your 25-year-old brain excels at forming connections, the mature, crystallized intelligence that helps you make sense of the world continues improving well into adulthood.
To learn how brain aging affects everything from surgical recovery to cognitive function, and what the transitions at 66 and 83 mean, jump to “Human brain may only reach adulthood after age 30.”
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