S&T Group January Meeting
On the first Friday of January 2026, Bob Ashby gave a well researched presentation to fourteen members of the Science & Technology Group on how the human brain changes with ageing.
Bob reported that Cambridge University neuroscientists have just published a study that has identified five “major epochs” of brain structure over the course of a human life, as our brains rewire to support different ways of thinking while we grow, mature, and ultimately decline.
Our “Childhood” brain runs from birth until a turning point at the age of nine, when it transitions to the “Adolescent” phase – an era that lasts on average to the age of about 32. Between our thirties and mid-sixties our brains are wired in “Adult” mode. A third turning point occurs around our mid-sixties when we enter the start of an “early ageing” phase of brain architecture. Finally, the “late ageing” brain takes shape at around 83 years old!
This final piece of information brought rueful smiles from several members of the audience! But the good news is that we can mitigate and compensate for the ageing process by keeping active in mind and body.