When you learn something new, the structure of your brain changes.
After hitting every single fruitful thought, activity of 100 billion neurons & one trillion glial cells start exercising to make a better structure of ur brain. And this development of your brain keep going until your late 40's...
Think: Before It's Too Late....
But the question arises that does this process stops at late 40s if yes then why have we been asked to strive for knowledge till you can die?
And answer by
محمد جنید أحمد goes like this
Im not going to reply with short, why we have to strive for knowledge from cradle to grave, even-though i have simple answer of this query, when your brain start losing efficiency it doesn't mean, you are losing your whole Cognitive Brain...it is simple that less efficient brain brings less progress in brain development which leads to less cognition...and less cognition is still the cognition...
Now come to the lengthy answer, first of all you should need to understand that, some changes are inevitable, but we have to learn how would we have to manage those inevitable changes, which are pretty much certain in our upcoming lives....
Like the rest of your body, your brain changes with each passing year. From the time we are infants, our brains are adapting, learning, making memories and more. We become smarter and sharper, earning the wisdom that truly only comes with life experience. Once we hit our late twenties, the brain’s aging process begins and we begin losing neurons—the cells that make up the brain and nervous system. By our sixties, our brains have literally begun to shrink...this is what neuroscience explains...
But you have to learn how your brain changes as you age to get a better handle on what is happening in this magical part of your body.
First i'll start from very important part of our brain, which is called prefrontal cortex...Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a neuroscientist with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London says,
" The prefrontal cortex is the region at the front of the brain just behind the forehead, and is an area of the brain that undergoes the longest period of development. It is an important area of the brain for high cognitive functions such as planning and decision-making, and it is also a key area for social behavior, social awareness, for empathy and understanding and interacting with other people, and various personality traits. Prof. Blakemore said the prefrontal cortex “is the part of the brain that makes us human,” since there is such a strong link between this area of the brain and a person’s personality.
Prof. Blakemore said brain scans show the prefrontal cortex continues to change shape as people reach their 30s and up to their late 40s. "
Bottom line of above research is that Brain is not fully mature until 40s...same thing Allah mentioned in Quran
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً
[He (Man) grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches the age of forty years,
(Al-Ahqaf : 15)
Age 40's-50's
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According to research in the British Medical Journal, From your mid 40s to late 50s, your reasoning skills slow. In a group of people who were first tested on various mental abilities when they were 45–49 years old, reasoning skills declined by 3.6 percent over 10 years.
The middle-age participants also experienced fading sharpness in memory and verbal fluency—the ability to say words quickly in a specific category.
Age 60's-70's
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According to researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. in 60s, The brain has begun to shrink in size and, after a lifetime of gaining accumulated knowledge, it becomes less efficient at accessing that knowledge and adding to it. The greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s is advancing age, and most individuals with the disease are 65 or older. Surprisingly, when Alzheimer’s hits people in their 60s and 70s, they show faster rates of brain tissue loss and cognitive decline compared to patients 80 years and older.
Age 70's-80
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in 70s and 80s, Your risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases with age, reaching 50 percent by age 85...
Crux of above stages Allah pointing out in Quran,
وَاللَّـهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ
It is God who creates you, then makes you die; and some reach the age of dotage when Men forget those things which they had knowledge about them. God is indeed all-knowing and all-powerful.
(Surah An-Nahl : 70)
How can we boost our brain?
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1) Keep Educating yourself, for this you have to get out of the comfort zone to push and nourish your brain. Do anything from learning a foreign language, study new subjects and taking a different route to work. Such stretching is exactly what scientists say best keeps a brain in tune.
2) Exercise pumps blood to the brain and encourages the growth of new brain cells
3) Mentally stimulating activities may help reverse cognitive decline.
4) Invest in your bonds with friends and loved ones.
5) Eat & Drink in Moderation
These above precautions you may take them to help your reverse cognitive decline... you must have to keep in mind that some changes are inevitable...but you have to indulge in learning which will let you to manage inevitable changes in ur body...this is the actual learning we should keep getting it from cradle to grave...
