• Question: can brains get bigger over time

    Asked by anon-360912 on 24 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Lucien Heurtier

      Lucien Heurtier answered on 24 Mar 2023:

      Well, it does when you are a small kid. A baby has a small head and it keeps growing for a while, so does the brain. However, after a certain age it definitely stops growing, and some brain cells die over time. That’s the cycle of life 😉

    • Photo: Joshua Bibby

      Joshua Bibby answered on 24 Mar 2023:

      I’m not an expert in brains but I’ve just done some quick research on some university websites and here is what I found.

      Your brain doesn’t grow much past the age of 6. However it forms new connections between brain cells very quickly as you grow up. Then it removes the connections you don’t need to become more efficient as become an adult. As you reach your 30s your brain will start to shrink and it becomes harder to change the links in your brain.

      So there is some science to ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks’!

    • Photo: Fergus McKiddie

      Fergus McKiddie answered on 28 Mar 2023:

      Unfortunately not once you’re passed childhood but you can keep forming new connections by continuing to learn and keep your brain engaged due to what’s known as ‘plasticity’. It’s a really important way of protecting yourself from dementia in old age

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