Your brain undergoes four dramatic periods of change from age 0 to 90

Our brain wiring seems to undergo four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83, which could influence our capacity to learn and our risk of certain conditions

Originally published in NewScientist by Carissa Wong, on 25 November 2025

The wiring of our neurons changes with the passing decades. Alexa Mousley, University of Cambridge

Our brain function is far from static throughout our lives. We already know that our capacity to learn, and our risk of cognitive decline, varies from when we are a newborn through to our 90s. Now, scientists may have uncovered a potential reason why this occurs: our brain wiring seems to undergo four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83.

Previous research suggests that our bodies go through three rapid bursts of ageing at around 40, 60 and 80. But the complexity of the brain makes it harder to understand.

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