The brain keeps changing from birth to 100 years, scientists understood the whole story of brain connectivity.

New Delhi. The human brain keeps changing continuously and now scientists have succeeded for the first time in mapping the entire journey of this change. By analyzing brain scans of more than 3,500 people, researchers have prepared an atlas, which shows the changes in functional connectivity between different parts of the brain from birth to 100 years of age. The study also revealed that certain brain patterns in youth are directly linked to memory, thinking speed and cognitive ability.

three major axes of the brain

Researchers have divided the brain into three main functional axes. The first is the ‘sensory-to-association’ axis, which regulates the process from simple experiences and sensations to complex thinking. The second axis keeps an eye on attention, decision and cognitive control i.e. thinking. The third axis is associated with emotions, internal thinking and mental representation. Through these three axes, the functioning of the brain can be understood at three levels – feeling, thinking and control.

When does the brain reach its peak?

The research also showed that the sensory-to-association axis develops rapidly during childhood and adolescence and reaches a peak around age 19. At this time the structure of the brain is more mature and adult-like. At the same time, the second axis, which is related to thinking and mental representation, plays an important role in the development of early motor and mental skills. This means that connectivity of different parts of the brain has different importance at different ages.

Help understand neurological diseases

University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist Jacob Sidelitz says this atlas can help identify early signs of neurodegenerative and developmental diseases. However, experts believe it is still challenging to track small changes in brain connectivity over time at an individual level.