University of Cambridge study maps brain development stages

Neuroscientists at the University of Cambridge's MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit have mapped the evolution of the human brain across five major stages. By analyzing MRI scans from 3,802 individuals ranging from birth to age 90, researchers identified four critical turning points occurring at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83.

These stages represent significant reorganizations of neural networks, which can influence memory, learning capabilities, and vulnerability to certain pathologies. During the first stage, from birth to age 9, the brain undergoes an intense process of network consolidation. While infants produce an excess of synapses, childhood is characterized by a selection process where useful connections are strengthened and others are eliminated to optimize the neural network.