Overview
- University of Cambridge researchers analyzed 3,802 diffusion‑MRI/tractography scans from ages 0 to 90 and published the findings in Nature Communications.
- The team delineates five epochs—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, early ageing and late ageing—with adolescent‑like structural refinement running from about age 9 to 32.
- Around 32, brain architecture enters a prolonged adult stability marked by near‑peak efficiency, a plateau in intelligence and personality reported in prior studies, and increasing regional segregation.
- A shift near 66 signals early ageing with reduced inter‑regional connectivity and greater health vulnerabilities, and a later shift near 83 shows a move from global to local networks, though the oldest sample was smaller.
- Authors stress that these are non‑linear, population‑level averages from cross‑sectional data, not labels for individuals, and outside experts praised the work while urging longitudinal and more diverse follow‑ups to inform research on conditions such as dementia.