According to a 2013 study on brain maturation by the Saint James School of Medicine, “it is well established that the brain undergoes a ‘rewiring’ process that is not complete until approximately 25 years of age.” The study explains that as the brain matures, myelin or white matter increases in the brain’s frontal lobes. More myelin means better neurocircuitry, allowing for a superior flow of information between brain regions. This specifically impacts things like impulse control, problem-solving and the ability to balance short-term rewards with long-term goals. “The prefrontal cortex, the rational part of our brain, is one of the last regions of the brain to reach maturation, which explains much of the behavioural immaturity so often associated with adolescents,” says psychotherapist Helen Burke-Smith, who was not involved in the study.
