: The prefrontal cortex (responsible for rational thinking) stops growing at age 25. Does that mean that one’s ability to conduct a complex reasoning only decreases after age 25 ?

Question

Or is that unrelated ? I guess what I’m wondering is are we able to produce more and more complex reasoning as we age despite the fact that our prefrontal cortex only shrinks as time goes by ?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The idea that the brain is ‘done’ developing at 25 is largely a pop culture misunderstanding of the science. Your brain never stops developing and adapting (a concept known as ‘neuroplasticity’) throughout your life. Granted, not at the same speed as when you are younger.