Is your brain fully developed?

The answer actually depends on your age. Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have used the idea of brain development and maturity to determine what makes a “child” an “adult.” Knowing this, you may be surprised to learn when the brain is fully developed. We are continuing to learn more about brain development every day, learning most recently that the brain is always changing.

When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?How the Brain First DevelopsWhat Affects Brain Development During Pregnancy?Brain Development After BirthHow Fast Does the Brain Develop During Infancy and Childhood?At What Age Does Brain Development Stop?What Affects Brain Development?Brain Development After InjuryNeuroplasticity

When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?

How the Brain First Develops

What Affects Brain Development During Pregnancy?

Brain Development After Birth

How Fast Does the Brain Develop During Infancy and Childhood?

At What Age Does Brain Development Stop?

What Affects Brain Development?

Brain Development After Injury

Neuroplasticity

Before we answer the question about how the brain stops developing, let’s look at how it starts. The brain begins to develop while a fetus is in utero. What starts as a simple neural tube grows into the forebrain, midbrain, and endbrain. These sections become five sections and then start to take the shape of an “adult” brain.

Currently pregnant and worried about your child’s brain development? Do not worry. Take the same supplements and avoid the same substances that you would if you were concerned about your own brain development! Consuming omega-3s and folate will encourage development. Smoking and alcohol use may cause harm.

Some studies suggest that infants may be born with the ability toidentify and categorize faces. These studies still cannot say with certainty what skills are innate in all humans at birth. They can say that it develops at a very young age.

Pretty cool, huh?

New connections are being made constantly throughout a young person’s life and well into their 20s. Neuroscientists believe that the brain isn’t fully developed until a person reaches 25. The late development of the prefrontal cortex may explain how young adults behave.

The prefrontal cortex is a large section at the front of the brain. Connections made in the prefrontal cortex influence logic and rationality. When adults with fully-formed brains make a decision, the prefrontal cortex is lit up.

Teens, with their not-fully-developed brains,make decisions differently. When making decisions, teens are more likely to rely on their amygdala. This part of the brain is crucial in processing strong emotions. Rather than using logic to make decisions, teens are more likely to rely on their emotions. And that’s why teens often make silly decisions that they make.

Why then, can you rent a car at 25, but drink alcohol, enter the military, and vote before your brain is fully developed? That’s a question for an entirely different blog post!

The factors affecting brain development may surprise you:

Can Alcohol Affect Brain Development?

Yes. Alcohol can negatively affect brain development in utero and throughout a person’s life. A night of binge drinking can damage and completely wipe out cells in the hippocampus. Not only does this affect the individual cell, but all the potential connections to that cell.

Can Antidepressants Affect Brain Development?

“Psychoactive drugs” is an umbrella term that includes controlled substances like caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, antidepressants, and pain medications. Not all of these substances affect brain development in the same way.Consuming marijuana as an adolescent, for example, is likely to delay the development of the prefrontal cortex where rational decisions are made. Butstudies on SSRIs (antidepressants)don’t come to one conclusion or the other. If you are considering going on antidepressants, reach out to a medical professional to discuss your options.

There are miraculous cases of people who have suffered brain injuries at a young age but regain the ability to walk, talk, or do other things that they couldn’t do post-injury. How does that work?

There are many theories that explain how these “miracles” can happen. Some suggest that brain cells are not destroyed during a brain injury, but simplyrevert back to an “embryonic state.”It’s like if you were injured and all of a sudden became a child again. Yes, you would face many setbacks, but through growth and development, you could get back to where you were before the injury.

Other theories suggest that neuroplasticity takes over during an injury. Through neuroplasticity, the brain re-organizes itself to adapt to the post-injury brain.

We learn things way beyond the age of 25. Sure, learning a language may be harder for a 25-year-old than a 2-year-old, but it’s still possible. Our brains store memories, come to different conclusions and may see the world differently over the decades. How do we do this with a fully developed brain?

Neuroplasticity is crucial to supporting the idea of growth (vs. fixed) mindset. With determination, patience, and a little bit of re-organization here and there, it is possible to expand your thinking and learn new skills. So take care of your brain! Even if you are over the age of 25, you can influence the change and organization of your brain in many ways. The brain may stop developing and growing, but it never stops changing. Keep learning, stay healthy, and embrace neuroplasticity!

Related posts:What is Neuroplasticity? (Definition + Examples)The Psychology of Long Distance RelationshipsBeck’s Depression Inventory (BDI Test)Operant Conditioning (Examples + Research)Concrete Operational Stage (3rd Cognitive Development)

Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2022, April).When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/when-does-your-brain-stop-developing/.Practical Psychology. (2022, April). When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/when-does-your-brain-stop-developing/.Copy

Reference this article:

Practical Psychology. (2022, April).When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/when-does-your-brain-stop-developing/.Practical Psychology. (2022, April). When Does Your Brain Stop Developing?. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/when-does-your-brain-stop-developing/.Copy

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