How does the brain work differently at different stages in our lives?

Throughout life our brains undergo more changes than any other part of the body. These can be broadly divided into five stages, each profoundly affecting our abilities and behaviour.

GestationPart 1 of our special feature looks at how a good prenatal environment is needed to make the best out of the growing brain.

ChildhoodPart 2: Life experiences in these early years help shape our emotional well-being, but neglect or harsh parenting may change the brain for good.

AdolesencePart 3: Teenagers are selfish, reckless, irrational and irritable, but given the cacophony of construction going on inside the adolescent brain.

AdulthoodPart 4: The peak of your brain’s powers comes at around age 22 and lasts for just half a decade – but there is an upside to the ageing brain.

Old AgePart 5: Not everyone ages in the same way, but what’s the difference between a jolly, intelligent oldie and a forgetful, grumpy one? And can we improve our chances of becoming the former?

                                                        water

a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.

                                                        halon  

any of a number of unreactive gaseous compounds of carbon with bromine and other halogens, used in fire extinguishers, but now known to damage the ozone layer.

                                                  dry chemical

extinguishing agent used on class a, class b, and class c fires.

                                                  carbon dioxide

a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. it is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis.