Overview
- The transition around age 32 emerged as the strongest turning point in brain topology, marking entry into the longest and relatively stable adult phase.
- Adolescence, defined by rising network efficiency and increasingly organized communication pathways, spans roughly from age 9 into the early 30s.
- Researchers harmonized nine datasets and measured change using 12 network metrics capturing efficiency and segregation across ages from birth to 90.
- A subtler shift near age 66 signaled early aging with gradual reorganization and reduced connectivity during a period associated with higher vascular risk.
- A late-aging phase after about 83 showed declining global connectivity and greater reliance on localized hubs, with authors and outside experts calling for longitudinal, larger, and more diverse cohorts given the cross-sectional design and limited oldest-age data.