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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvpJ6BCs9A

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Dorothy Sylvia

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Researchers can now accurately estimate your age by looking at an image of your brain.

That's according to a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

By analyzing brain scans of healthy adult volunteers, scientists in China found that significant changes occur in the brain from early to middle adulthood.

This research contradicts the long-held theory that the brain structure remains relatively stable during this period.

While most neuroscientific research has focused on the rapid changes in the brain that occur in early and later life, this study concludes that our brains continue to change throughout our lifespans.

The brain and age

Images showing these structural changes provided the researchers a model for age estimation.

This was based on identification of specific brain regions where changes occur that are highly correlative with age.

The researchers hope to access results of a long-term study, as the brain images they used were only snapshots of individual brains taken at a single moment.

Even so, they determined that the brain regions that showed the earliest changes had previously been associated with cognitive decline in old age, such as decreased reaction times, reasoning abilities, and memory.

That our brains continue to change throughout early adulthood may have ramifications for attitudes about drug use - namely, that drug use during this stage of life could still negatively affect brain development.

Marijuana use, for instance, can affect brain development for adults as old as 25 -particularly in individuals prone to mental illness.

"Individuals are most vulnerable to developing major disorders such as schizophrenia between 16 and 25," Dr. Heather Whalley, a researcher at the Center for Clinical Brain Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh, told Healthline. "Individuals with a propensity for schizophrenia are more likely to be ill if they smoke marijuana. This period of early adulthood is a vulnerable time with the brain developing, including the development of higher-order cognitive regions. If that development is interrupted, the eventual maturity is different than if the individual hadn't taken the drugs."

The effects of illness

Additional research into the structures of adult brains could also provide insight into the effects of illness on the brain and hopefully determine causation vs. consequence.

Currently, brain images can show evidence of mental illness, but not time of onset.

"In terms of depression, we're seeing changes in the brain structure, but not when they happen," Whalley said. "The changes themselves could be causing the depression, conversely, depression could be causing damage to the brain structure."

"What we need to do is have larger studies and collect longitudinal data to see scans of individuals' brains a couple years apart and how these correspond to symptoms or mood changes," Whalley added. "But imaging is very expensive, so it's difficult to do significantly large studies to find something clinically useful."

Still, studies like this one can advance the understanding of mental illness, and potentially prevention and treatment.

"We know that some parts of the brains in individuals with depression are aging faster than those of their well counterparts," Whalley said. "With the aging of the brain comes a decline in cognition, slowed processing - with various diseases associated with age like dementia as the extreme. But this decline also feeds into depression."

"It's useful to know from a disease perspective whether someone's biological age is better or worse than their chronological age," she added. "This study could help determine what the norm of the brain should be at a certain age, so we could then understand how a diseased brain deviates from that norm. Or we could see a positive deviation and look into what's helping them age successfully."

The scans the researchers analyzed were captured using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), an MRI-based imaging technique that makes it possible to estimate the location, orientation, and anisotropy (a change in physical property based on direction) of the brain's white matter tracts.

"The biggest application of DTI is to look at the organization of the brain, how the structures change with age, and how things change in disease," Dr. Stephan Maier, a professor of radiology and image processing at Gothenburg University in Sweden, told Healthline. "How the brain is organized was known before but only through autopsy. But nothing was possible to do in vivo before DTI."

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Researchers can now accurately estimate your age by looking at an image of your brain. That's according to a recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. By analyzing brain scans of healthy adult volunteers, scientists in China found that significant changes occur in the brain from early to middle adulthood.

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To ward off a midlife crisis: setting and attaining your life goals

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Learn about the theories associated with Middle Adulthood Development and careers available in the middle adulthood development psychology field.

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The midlife crisis. An often dreaded period of time that conjures up images of a Harley-mounted silver-haired 50-something man (or woman) riding off into the sunset with a younger partner.

But how does this period of self-reflection really present itself, and how can we recognize its grip on our lives? Certainly not everyone of a certain age runs out and has an affair or purchases a new sports car. Indeed, there are all sorts of other signs -- some you may have never even considered -- that can signal the arrival of a midlife crisis.

Studies do show that at least a third of men in their 40s and 50s admit to forking out big bucks on a new car as a result of a midlife crisis. And some women admit to getting Botox or making some kind of drastic change to their appearance during this transitional period. (A footnote: Women are more likely to go through a midlife crisis earlier than men, often between the ages of 35 and 44.)

But what are the other signs you might be facing a midlife crisis? We asked our Facebook fans for their opinions and were rewarded with a wide range of responses. Have your own ideas? Let us know in comments.

1) When you start "panicking about health issues," said Diane Franklin Slimbock.

2) "When you start to have more questions than answers; especially hard ones: 'is this all there is?'... 'why am I doing this?'... 'what about what I need?'... 'who am I anymore?'... 'what is the real point of me?'... 'why put my life off any longer?'" said Anna Gregerson.

3) "When you start comparing yourself more and more to your more successful friends and younger co-workers and you start feeling increasingly regretful and self-conscious," said Lanie Giron.
4) "A crisis seems to come from exhaustion and a sudden acknowledgement of the passage of time. All assumptions come under review -- all of them," said Denice Loritsch.
5) "In several cases, we have noticed [in others] a sudden urge to lose weight and get in shape, go clubbing and reconnect with high school and college friends following marriage trouble and divorce. My husband and I were married, without children, for 17 years when, at 38 and 42, we felt that midlife crisis and need for a change. So we went to Russia three times in two years and adopted our two amazing kids!! Best crisis we ever had. We are now 53 and 57, our son is 14 and our daughter is 12, and we are having the time of our lives!!!" said Kimberly Minton Freeman.

6) "Just observing men who want to date me... acting and talking like they are 30 instead of late 40s. This includes much insensitivity and not a lot of understanding, no pillow talk, and a heightened sense of their own worth at the expense of a partnership and learning about someone else. Many women are still using the tried-and-true 'damsel in distress' act and hiding their intelligence by sexing everything up. Just my opinion," said Michelle Ethridge.

7) "As a nutrition and lifestyle coach, I notice that friends and clients want to feel better, lose weight, look younger and be more energized by cultivating healthier habits," said Judy Boyd Griffin.

Of course, it's not necessarily a bad thing if someone's simply seeking to learn new things or broaden their horizons. But if the crisis results in a person becoming seriously moody or exhibiting bizarre behavior, then there could be trouble. For four ways to cope with changes during a midlife crisis, go here.

BEFORE YOU GO

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how to tell if you're having a midlife crisis

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7 Signs You Might Be Facing A Midlife Crisis

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The midlife crisis. An often dreaded period of time that conjures up images of a Harley-mounted silver-haired 50-something man (or woman) riding off into the sunset with a younger partner. But how does this period of self-reflection really present itself, and how can we recognize its grip on our lives?

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This was an interesting read, after reading the list in this article, I kind of feel middle-aged haha

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3830194

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Class here is a interesting 5 min video.

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Early Adulthood

Phil is approaching his 30th birthday, and he's both excited and a little sad. Somehow, thirty seems a lot older than twenty-nine. He feels like he should be a real grown-up now, but there's so much left that he needs to do!

Phil is in early adulthood, which is generally defined as the time between adolescence and middle age. Roughly, this means between ages twenty and forty. Some psychologists define it slightly differently, like between ages twenty-five and forty-five or between ages seventeen and thirty-five. But in general, early adulthood is the time between adolescence and middle age.

There are many different physical things that distinguish people in early adulthood from other points in their lives. Let's take a closer look at the health and wellness properties of early adulthood as well as the impact of stress on health.

Health & Wellness

Despite all the nervousness about entering his thirties, Phil is doing well physically. He ran a half-marathon last year, and he looks and feels better than he did when he was in college. Mostly, this is due to drinking less and working out more.

Early adulthood is the point in life when the body is at its healthiest point. Like Phil, most people in early adulthood are at their most physically capable. The body is fully developed by the early to mid-20s, and this allows adults to function better than they did earlier in life when they weren't fully developed. On the other hand, most adults have not yet begun to have the health issues that older adults go through as the body begins to age.

Health habits at this age are very important. These are things like exercising, not smoking, and eating well, and they influence health in later years. Studies show that people who engage in health habits in early adulthood are healthier in middle age and beyond. This is good news for Phil. In addition to his half-marathon training and the cutting back of drinking, he does not smoke and eats a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Stress

There is one hiccup in Phil's health and wellness, though. He has a lot of stress. His boss is really demanding, and he recently got a promotion that means longer hours and more responsibility at work. Not only that, he and his girlfriend just got engaged and are now trying to plan a wedding. All in all, he's very stressed!

Stress is a major problem facing early adults. Usually, a person enters the workforce for the first time in early adulthood. In addition, many people get married and have children during this time in their lives. They might be buying their first houses, getting promotions, or paying off student loans. All of these can add stress to their lives.

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physical development and health in early adulthood - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Physical Development and Health in Early Adulthood - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Phil is approaching his 30th birthday, and he's both excited and a little sad. Somehow, thirty seems a lot older than twenty-nine. He feels like he should be a real grown-up now, but there's so much left that he needs to do!

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Going Through a Mid Life Crisis - with JP Sears

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https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/workbook/activity/page?context=c09d36fa80020ca601fab36255ae64e5

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhXrHD7qWDk