Overview
- Published in Nature Communications, the analysis examined MRI-derived connectivity in 3,802 people aged 0 to 90, tracing how neural networks reorganize across life.
- The first transition appears near age 9 after rapid growth and synaptic pruning, a phase tied to major cognitive change and higher vulnerability to mental-health disorders.
- The second transition centers on about 32 as white matter peaks, with the strongest reorganization of networks and peak cognitive performance reported in the early 30s.
- From roughly 32 to 66, brain network architecture shows a long period of stability that earlier work has described as a plateau in intelligence and personality.
- Connectivity loss accelerates after about 66, and by roughly 83 networks shift from global to more local communication with limited data for this oldest group, which researchers and outside experts say could inform studies of neurodevelopmental disorders and dementia.