Brain's center of reasoning among last to mature

AORN Journal,  July, 2004  

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A new study graphically reveals that the brain's center of reasoning and problem solving is among the last to mature, according to a May 17, 2004, news release from the National Institutes of Health. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of normal brain development in individuals aged four to 21 years, shows that "higher-order" brain centers do not fully develop until early adulthood.

Researchers used MRI to scan 13 healthy children and teenagers every two years for 10 years. Using an intricate set of brain anatomical landmarks, they visualized the ebb and flow of gray matter in maps that form a time-lapse "movie" showing brain maturation from ages five to 20.

The movie shows gray matter diminishing in a back-to-front wave, probably reflecting the purging of unused neuronal connections during the teen years. Cortex areas tan be seen maturing at ages at which relevant cognitive and functional developmental milestones occur.

The study also found that the extreme front and back of the brain--those controlling the most basic functions, such as movement--are the first areas to mature. The parietal lobes--areas involved in spatial orientation--mature next, and the prefrontal cortex, which performs more advanced functions, matures last.

Imaging Study Shows Brain Maturing (news release, Bethesda, Md: National Institutes of Health, May 17, 2004) http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2004/nimh17.htm (accessed 27 May 2004).

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