A Cambridge study has mapped how the brain rewires itself from infancy to old age, revealing five distinct “eras” of development and four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83. 

Challenging the idea that adulthood begins in our teens or twenties, scientists say our brains remain in an extended adolescent phase until about 32, when neural wiring undergoes its most dramatic shift and begins to stabilise, finally entering “adult mode.” 

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the research based on nearly 4,000 brain scans offers the clearest picture yet of how our brain rewires itself over our lifespan. 

The study did not look at men and women separately.