Brain Snack: Our Brain Rewires Itself Four Times During Our Lives

New research shows four key turn points and five brain “epochs” across our lives

I thought the brain was constantly rewiring?!

Yes, it is. Everything we do rewires the brain to a degree. It just depends to what degree. So yes, our brain is continually plastic but this is also controlled by our genetics, before we get too excited.

So what is this about four rewiring phases?

Well, this is fascinating research and I have already taught some of these in my courses.

We already know that certain periods of brain development are particularly important — for example up to the age of two the brain grows connections rapidly before cutting and pruning back connections.

There are other obvious phases such as in adolescence.

And this is therefore in four phases.

Yes, but it might not be when you assume. According to this research at least.

Alexa Mousley and colleagues of the University of Cambridge did a large scale analysis (of 4’216 people) of brain imaging dataset across ages from 0 to 90 years old.