A new study has found that adolescence can continue until the age of 32, as humans hit four major “turning points” in brain development at the ages of about nine, 32, 66 and 83.

Published on Tuesday in the journal, Nature Communications, the study examined nearly 4,000 scans of the brains of participants ranging in age up to 90.

Researchers mapped out the brain’s development using this data and discovered that humans go through five “brain phases” – and within them, four significant life turning points as they grow, mature and decline.

Importantly, they discovered, it is not until age 32 that human personality and intelligence “plateau” and stabilise following changes in early adolescence.

What are the five phases?

According to the study, brain development and ageing undergo five sepa

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