Hi Readers, scientists are
learning more about the brain, but we have so far to go! I know that people
worry about their brain health because I am asked about it every day. Sadly,
people are hyper aware of every lost key and fixate on how to improve brain
functioning. While there are no “fixes” in this study, it is essential to understand
how the brain works and how it changes over the lifespan. A research team
headed by Dr. Alexa Mousley at the University of Cambridge recently published
their breakthrough findings on brain turning points and development across the
lifespan.
A recent study in Nature
Communications published on November 25, 2025, described five distinct
structural eras of brain development and unique organizations or “topologies”
can be divided into five categorical eras called “epochs.” The investigators sought to understand brain
organization changes throughout the lifespan. How does the brain change with
age? What are the underlying principles of developmental brain changes? Are
there points in time when the brain transitions into another phase of change?
Although one article
described this study as “massive,” it was not, yet it remains noteworthy and
groundbreaking. Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University
of Pittsburgh examined 4,216 imaging datasets from patients aged 0-90 years old,
and their analysis indicated that human development is complex, non-linear, and
divided into five lifespan topological epochs.
Epoch 1:
Age 0-9, “Infancy into Childhood” (p. 6).
The topologies or connectivity areas of the brain that work together are
refined. Gray and white matter grows.
Epoch 2: Age 9-32, “Adolescence” (p. 7). During this twenty-three-year
period, brain connections strengthen, global integration increases, and white
matter grows. The result is refined emotional regulation, executive functioning
(plan, organize, establish goals), and enhanced reasoning (decision-making,
conclusions, logic). Of the five identified epochs, this is the only one suggesting
increased vulnerability for development of mental health disorders. “Age 32 is
the strongest topological turning point in the lifespan… with the most
directional changes and a large shift in trajectory” (Mousley, 2025, p. 9). In
other words, the brain peaks.
Epoch 3: Age
32-66, “Adulthood” (p. 7). During this period of three decades of adulthood,
the wiring changes and becomes more compartmentalized. Yes, the brain
reorganizes! At the end of this epoch, the brain becomes less efficient.
Epoch 4:
Age 66-83, “Early Aging” (p. 7-8). White matter degenerates, and my readers
know that brain shrinkage is absolutely normal. The brain networks become more
compartmentalized and less integrated.
Epoch 5:
Age 83-90, “Late Aging” (P. 8). Brain connectivity weakens further, shifting
from global to local functions.
What does all this mean and how
can this research be applied? According to principal investigator Dr. Alexa
Mousley, “This study is the first to identify major phases of brain wiring
across a human lifespan. These eras provide important context for what our
brains might be best at, or more vulnerable to, at various stages of our lives.
It could help us understand why some brains develop differently at key points
in life, whether it be learning difficulties in childhood, or dementia in our
later years” (Lewsey, F., 2025).
All research studies have
limitations that impact the extrapolation or application of the
findings. Scientists always acknowledge limitations in their studies as a call
to action for future studies, and to retain academic humility. First, the study
was not sex-stratified. Perhaps future studies can compare male and female
brain scans to determine if male and female epochs are similar or dissimilar.
Second, they acknowledged that the health status of the patients whose brain
scans were used in the study remained unknown. Third, the cross-sectional study
design prevents causality (cause and effect).
References:
Mousley, A., Bethlehem,
R.A.I., Yeh, FC. et al. Topological turning points across the
human lifespan. Nat Commun 16, 10055 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65974-8
Lewsey, F., University of
Cambridge, November 25, 2025. Retrieved from https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/five-ages-human-brain
