How the Brain Works The Facts Visually Explained by DK (z-lib.org)

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN

The Adult Brain

The Adult

Brain

Human brains continue to change and

mature throughout early adulthood, as

unused connections are pruned away.

This makes the brain more efficient

but also less flexible.

Mature brains

Full myelination (the sheathing of axons

in myelin) allows information to flow

freely, but the process is completed only

in a person’s late 20s. The last brain

region to finish maturing is the frontal

lobe, which is responsible for judgment

and inhibition. Compared to children

and teenagers, adults are better able

to regulate their emotions and control

their impulses. They can use their

experiences to better predict the

outcomes of their actions and how

they may make other people feel.

A new mother’s brain and body are awash with

hormones such as oxytocin, driving her to care for her

baby. Looking at her infant triggers the brain’s reward

pathways, and her amygdala becomes more active,

scanning for danger. Men’s brains are affected

by parenthood, too, but only if they spend a

lot of time with their baby. The brains of

men who are primary caregivers of an

infant go through similar changes to

women’s, and these changes appear

to be very similar to falling in love.

PARENTHOOD

Last region to

fully mature is

frontal lobe

Amygdala is less

emotionally reactive

Hippocampus

continues to produce

new brain cells

Adult life

A fully developed, mature

brain is equipped to handle

all the competing demands

and pressures of adult life,

from work and finances

to relationships and health.

Corpus callosum is fully

developed to allow

information flow

between hemispheres

FINA

N

CE

S

FAM

ILY

HEA

LT

H

US_048-049_Adult_brain.indd 48 20/09/2019 12:32