Between birth and puberty, the brain undergoes significant changes. It increases in size, changes the number of cells it comprises, and changes the degree of connectivity. The improvements don't end until you hit the age of eighteen. In reality, scientists now believe that your brain matures and fine-tunes itself well into your twenties. So, when does a human brain reach the end of its development? And, given the time and effort it takes to create, what makes the finished product so special?
In several ways, the adult brain varies from the teenage brain. The brain loses gray matter when surplus neurons and synapses are pruned away during childhood and adulthood. By the late 20s, the rate of loss has slowed. Simultaneously, certain brain regions reinforce their relations with one another, and the main nerve tracts become wrapped in insulating myelin, increasing the white matter of the brain. About the age of 40, the amount of white matter in the brain reaches its maximum.
Increased interactions between widely separated brain regions account for a large portion of the extra white matter. Most brain networks are geographically structured throughout childhood and adolescence, with regions close to each other cooperating to complete a cognitive mission. As we grow older, distant regions of the brain begin to interact with one another, resulting in wider, more widely scattered networks.
The prefrontal cortex — the front section of the frontal lobe — is the most critical brain region to become completely "wired up" in adulthood. Many of our higher-level cognitive abilities, such as planning, problem-solving, and decision-making, are handled in this environment. It's also crucial for cognitive regulation, which is the ability to inhibit impulses in favor of more appropriate behavior. When it comes to making choices, the adult brain is more wired for cognitive control than the teenage brain, which is more affected by emotions, incentives, and social approval.
Early to middle adulthood, approximately ages 25 to 60, is also when intellect peaks. Intelligence, on the other hand, includes a wide variety of cognitive abilities, each of which evolves at its own rate. About the age of 30, fluid intelligence, which involves skills such as problem-solving and pattern recognition, reaches its height. Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, which deals with vocabulary and factual information, rises until about the age of 50.
Although the adult brain is more cognitively capable than the teen brain, there might not be a single point in adulthood where all (or even most) of our cognitive functions are functioning at their best.
