Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRates of Brain DevelopmentHow the Brain DevelopsBeyond the Early 20sRewiring to Age 25Individual VariationSharpest AgeBrain Aging
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Rates of Brain Development
How the Brain Develops
Beyond the Early 20s
Rewiring to Age 25
Individual Variation
Sharpest Age
Brain Aging
A person’s brain is not fully developed until their mid to late 20s, as the brain grows in physical size and with the emergence and strengthening of nerve pathways in the brain.
Maturity, judgment, insight, and intelligence develop throughout childhood and young adulthood. Structural brain development during these years enhances learning skills and reasoning abilities—and different life experiences also enrich or disrupt the progression of brain development.
Parts of the brain mature at different rates, andsex hormonescan affect brain development between people of different sexes.
Halfpoint Images / Getty Images.
Variousparts of the braingrow and mature at varying rates, and life experiences can help promote or inhibit the maturation of certain parts of the brain.The most rapid brain development occurs between the prenatal stages (before birth) and age 8, when nerve pathways develop and become strengthened.
Men vs. Women
The hormonal direction of brain development differs slightly between males and females. These differences impact the rate of growth of different brain regions.
Evidence suggests that on average, the frontal lobe (which promotes self control) and the amygdala (which controls emotion recognition) may develop earlier in females. Sex-related differences in brain development also impactneurotransmitters,which are the chemicals that activate and inhibit nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body.
The Anatomy of the Diencephalon
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Brain Parts
Research usingbrain imaging studieshas revealed a great deal of information about the functions of different areas of the brain, including defining hundreds of pathways that carry out specific tasks.
Major brain regions include:
These brain regions physically grow at approximately the same rate, and the nerve pathways between the different regions are strengthened as a child learns to perceive and respond to their environment while developing motor skills, learning skills, and social skills.
Cognitive Development Theory: What Are the Stages?
How Brain Development Works
Brain development includes several different components that contribute to healthy structure and function. Maturation of the brain accelerates the development of skills, and may also inhibit the ability to learn new skills.
Brain development involves:
An enriching learning environment, social support, and practice can help strengthen the pathways between these different brain regions.Adverse events can lead to stress that may interfere with healthy brain development.
What Is Developmental Psychology?
Why Brain Development Is Not Complete at Young Adulthood
Communication between different nerves in a pathway activates the brain to coordinate perceptions, thoughts, movements, and responses to the world around us. Many of the pathways begin to function at a very early age.
For example, walking requires a sophisticated interaction between perception, balance, coordination, and adjustment. This pathway is built almost instinctively as children learn to walk.
Brain “Rewiring” Process Continues to Age 25
Premature Brain MaturationSometimes stressful events can accelerate brain development, potentially reducing neuroplasticity at a younger age.
Premature Brain Maturation
Sometimes stressful events can accelerate brain development, potentially reducing neuroplasticity at a younger age.
While there are some general patterns of brain development, individuals can differ in how their brain matures.
Genetic influences on brain development can affect the following:
Some people are skilled at learning music, while others can learn science more easily.
Additionally, life experiences have a substantial impact on brain skills.For example, people who learn to cook or care for pets at a young age can continue to excel at these skills throughout life. Individuals who did not have early life experiences with cooking or caring for pets may have a harder time learning how to do them.
Emotionally charged events can also affect brain development. People who have experienced turmoil, particularly early in their lives, can become emotionally reactive, unstable,hypervigilant(constantly on guard or aware of their environment), or anxious.
However, people exposed to emotionally charged events can sometimes become more empathetic (able to feel what others are feeling).It’s unclear why early childhood events affect some people differently.
What Age Is Your Brain the Sharpest?
For many people, intellectual abilities,executive function(aspects of thinking that include planning, memory, and self-control), social skills, and empathy continue to improve throughout adulthood. Sometimes, illness or abilities can cause a decline in brain skills.
Unless there’s a specific reason, most people continue to improve many aspects of brain power throughout adulthood.
Older adults can harness the lessons from life experiences and deliberately practice sharpening cognitive abilities, even after the brain has reached full physical and developmental maturation.
When Does Your Brain Start Aging?
The hippocampus, which plays a large role in memory, may begin to shrink in a person’s mid-30s.However, the connectivity can remain healthy even as the hippocampus starts to shrink.
Degeneration of the brain associated with diseases can lead to clinical symptoms, such as forgetfulness or difficulty with cognitive skills.
Summary
Enhanced brain functioning involves structural physical growth of the brain, along with the development of brain communication networks. Cognitive and emotional abilities, such as learning, reasoning, self-awareness, self-control, and empathy, can improve as the brain develops with age.
Much of this development is genetically determined and follows an age-related pattern. Life circumstances, health conditions, and deliberate actions can also have an impact.
While the development and decline of brain abilities is somewhat preprogrammed with age, diseases that affect the brain or chaotic life experiences can interfere with developmentand can trigger a decline in brain function with age. A nurturing learning environment and healthy lifestyle can enhance brain development and reduce the effects of decline.
Cognitive Decline Symptoms in Young and Older Adults
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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