Scientists have known for some time that the size of the human brain changes over time, but because we lacked the tools to document this change, concrete data could not be provided in this area.
An international research team led by Richard Bethlehem of the University of Cambridge has recently published the world’s first chart of brain size. For the research, Bethelhem’s team compiled brain scans from more than 100,000 people, ranging from four-month-old children to 100-year-old adults. An extremely striking result emerged. The average human brain experiences a burst of growth during youth, then begins to shrink in mass later in life.
The team charted the journey of the brain’s growth and contraction. These growth charts are thought to be particularly helpful to doctors when trying to diagnose psychiatric illnesses. This information is important not only for the discovery of physical ailments such as cancer or damage, but also for the possible detection of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction.
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