Overview
- Researchers identified four population-level turning points at roughly ages 9, 32, 66 and 83 separating childhood, extended adolescence, adulthood, early aging and late aging.
- The strongest reorganization occurs near age 32, marking the transition into a decades-long adult plateau with more segregated networks.
- From birth to about 9, gray and white matter surge and synapses are pruned in a phase the team describes as network consolidation.
- Early aging begins around 66 with measurable white-matter decline and a gradual reorganization that intensifies into late aging near 83.
- The authors emphasize these are structural patterns rather than behavioral labels, and they propose the timetable as a guide to identify sensitive windows for intervention.