Brain Development throughout Life
As a young person, I learned quickly from parents, school, or other adults that brain development is not finished until you’re about 25. There are plenty of decisions I look back on from my teen years and question what I was thinking. I wouldn’t choose that now! It’s true that brain development occurs well into your young adult life. Our brain actually changes throughout our entire life. Knowing the development stage we are in can help us make wise choices during that time to keep our brain healthy.
During early childhood and preschool age, synapses (what connects neurons) increase in number very quickly. The synapses that are used a lot are strengthened and the ones that aren’t used often are eliminated. Within the motor nervous system tract, the number of neurons in the white matter increases. So with these changes, the foundation for memory, function, and adaptability grows. Complex actions like walking, and running become possible (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
During school aged childhood, the temporal lobes grow and reach max volume. Within the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes (all related to language and cognition), neural network connections increase. Social situations are easier to understand and respond to (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
During adolescence, within the frontal lobe, neural connections continue to strengthen. Areas in the brain that are involved with emotions, reward, and motivation also are developing - hence the typical teen attitudes and moods. This is all heightened because the brain is doing a lot of developing during this time. Adolescents are able to think about abstract concepts (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
During young adulthood, the parts of the frontal lobe involved with behaviors driving goals matures. White matter also increases. Young adults are able to master their impulse control and abilities to plan ahead. They can also integrate information better. This means that they become better at things like problem solving (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
During the middle age, the brain is able to better handle more cognitively complex tasks because the connections in the white matter have strengthened. The neural connections have been well established at this point, but temporal lobe white matter increases and connections can be rewired. Due to these developments, spatial, mathematical, and abstract reasoning, and verbal abilities increase (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
Finally, during the older years, white matter will decrease and some areas of the brain will actually shrink. Some of the complex mental processes may be negatively affected, but vocabulary and knowledge gained through experience stays the same. More time to process may be necessary at this point (Brain Changes over the Lifespan, n.d.).
So what can positively or negatively affect brain development? Mental stimulation like reading, learning, math, etc. keeps that brain stimulated. Exercise will increase the number of vessels that will bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain. A healthy diet will make sure your brain uses the best nutrients for everything it does. Social connections will also help with healthy brain development. Tobacco and alcohol have a negative effect on your brain. Avoid tobacco and those who are old enough to drink should limit their consumption (12 Ways to Keep your Brain Young, 2020). It’s important to let your brain develop to the best of its ability - you’ll thank yourself later in life for the lifestyle choices you made.
References:
Brain Changes over the Lifespan. (n.d.) Northeastern University. Retrieved from https://web.northeastern.edu/nutraumaticbraininjury/braintbi-anatomy/brain-changes-over-the-lifespan/.
12 Ways to Keep your Brain Young. (2020). Harvard Health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young.
Challenges/Points:
Our brain develops through our young adult years, but our brain changes during our entire life.
Lifestyle choices like mental stimulation, diet, exercise, friendships, and tobacco and alcohol use all affect brain development and health.
Look at the paragraph of lifestyle choices and determine one thing you can improve on.
Questions:
What stage of brain development are you in?
Did you know your brain changes during your entire lifespan?
What lifestyle area can you improve in?
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