Your brain isn’t stagnant; throughout your lifetime, many changes occur as a result of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that accompany emotional, intellectual, and physical milestones, says Prashant Natteru, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI.
Meet the experts: Prashant Natteru, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI; Agenor Limon, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch; Charlotte Markey, Ph.D., chair of the department of health sciences at Rutgers University at Camden and author of Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life;
Ahead, learn how your brain ages and common milestones to prep for what may be ahead for you or your kids.
Childhood
You can’t miss the fact that babies stick everything in their mouths and toddlers are eager to explore. As their brains develop, they are forming new connections to help them make sense of the world. After birth, the brain receives info through stimuli— mechanical (touch, texture), chemical (tastes and smells), and visual (e.g., light)—to help sensory pathways, including vision and hearing, develop. Our sensory receptors are constantly activated, “and the brain learns how to interpret all this information from the environment,” says Agenor Limon, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch. In the first few years of life, more than a million new neural connections are formed every second.
Adolescence
The limbic system, which controls emotions and reward-seeking, is highly active during these years, which is why teens might elect to do things they know are dangerous if their friends are doing them. “This [system] is said to account for acts such as speeding and risk-taking, whereby the brain is far more sensitive to short-term thrills than to long-term consequences,” Dr. Natteru says. The teen brain is also able to adapt and change at the structural and molecular level and thus is open to learning new behaviors.
Early adulthood
Luckily, the prefrontal cortex finally kicks in when we’re in our mid- to late 20s. This final part of the brain to mature is responsible for executive functions such as decision-making, impulse control, reasoning, and considering consequences. “The ability to plan, abstract thought, and emotion regulation all benefit from this physiological development,” says Charlotte Markey, Ph.D., chair of the department of health sciences at Rutgers University at Camden and author of Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life. “These skills come online at a critical time in most people’s development, as they’re often navigating serious relationships, starting professional lives, and having kids.”
Pregnancy and postpartum
Pregnancy brain is a thing! Women may experience symptoms like forgetfulness and an inability to focus. Changes in the levels of estrogen and progesterone are drastic, and these two hormones influence the neurotransmitters that affect brain functions, says Dr. Natteru. Sleep deprivation also can contribute to reduced clarity, but it should improve as hormones stabilize (and babies sleep longer at night!).
Menopause
Women in perimenopause may have brain fog or memory lapses related to a decrease in their estrogen levels. Estrogen modulates the activity of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, which are involved in mood modulation, memory, and learning processes, Dr. Natteru says. Fortunately, these changes are usually temporary, and hormone therapy may help reverse them.
Mature adulthood
As we grow older, mild cognitive changes—which are a normal part of aging—may affect areas such as memory and reasoning for some people. “Changes in the prefrontal cortex are especially relevant in terms of slower thought processes and decision-making,” says Markey. “For example, inhibitory control, which allows us to think before we act, may decline. That’s why older adults may be apt to make comments we may find inappropriate at times.” Some people also may lose a little flexibility, meaning they may be slower to find words or recall names. But you’ve also crystallized your intelligence and the knowledge you’ve accumulated at this point. “Essentially, you can focus on what matters and not what doesn’t,” says Holmes.
The good news: While some brain regions may decline as we age, the healthy brain is very plastic, and other regions may compensate. “We may not learn as easily as we did when we were kids, but we can still learn,” says Limon. In fact, studies have found that in areas such as vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and math we stay the same (or improve!) as we age. What’s more, by practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors you can support good health for your brain throughout your life.