I’m much better at controlling myself now than I was when I was a kid. I’m more organized and less impulsive. 我現在的自控能力， 與自己小時候相比， 無疑要好很多。 我行事更加井井有條而更少有心血來潮。
Why is that? What happened in my brain to make this happen?這是為什麼呢？ 是因為我的大腦發生了什麼嗎？
A study published in Current Biology could have a clue. 發表在《現代生物學》上的一項研究可能有助於揭開謎團。
Scientists studied the changes that happen in the brain as kids become adults. 科學家們研究了人們從幼年到成年的大腦變化。
During this process is where they, hopefully, also become much more well-behaved. 人們有望在這一變化過程中行事變得更加得體。
In a sense, scientists analyzed the physical changes that occur as “executive function” — the set of skills associated with greater discipline and focus — develops. 科學家們在某種意義上對這種生理變化進行了分析。 這種生理變化的出現與執行功能[2]的發展可謂如影隨形。 執行功能[2]包含了多種能力， 而這些能力與更好的自製力和專注力密切相關。
Executive function skills are crucial; they play a role in everything from drug use to how much education a person completes.執行功能[2]對一切事物（從吸毒到受了多少教育）都能起到作用，
The University of Pennsylvania team analyzed the brain scans of 882 people ages 8 to 22. By comparing the scans of younger brains with those of older brains, they saw two big changes.
賓夕法尼亞大學的研究團隊， 對882名8至22歲的參與者進行了大腦掃描和分析， 通過對年幼和年長者的大腦對比， 發現了兩個重要的不同：
First, as the brains aged, different parts became segregated into “modules” that work more closely together.首先， 大腦隨著人們的年齡增長， 不僅各個區域會相互獨立形成“模組”， 而且這些“模組”彼此協作會愈發緊密。
But even though the brain was segregated into specialized modules, it wasn’t becoming fragmented. 大腦雖然獨立形成了不少專用的“模組”， 但是並沒有隨之變得支離破碎、各自為政。
The brain overall was becoming more integrated because the connections between the modules were getting stronger.這些“模組”隨著互相交流的進一步加強， 會讓整個大腦整合度更高也更加完善。
此圖描繪了大腦網路的成長過程：大腦的模組化分區與功能性整合， 看似衝突卻又相伴相生
These findings provide more insight into how the brain becomes more complex. 這些研究成果能讓人們進一步瞭解， 大腦是如何變得更加錯綜複雜的。
It could be potentially helpful for diagnosis: now that we know how a normal brain develops, it’s easier to see if a brain isn’t developing the way it should.
同時， 對大腦的診斷可能也很有幫助：既然知道了大腦是如何正常成長的， 那麼， 大腦要是在成長中出現了偏差， 就會非常容易被發現。
Next, the scientists are studying whether this new information can be applied to help predict which children are likely to develop psychiatric disorders.
而接下來， 科學家們會繼續研究， 看能否利用全新的研究成果來幫助預測出， 哪些兒童可能有患上精神疾病的風險。
譯文注釋：
[1]彌散張量纖維束成像：是利用彌散張量成像技術（DTI）中得出的資料直接地描述白質纖維束分佈的技術。
[2]執行功能的定義， 指有機體對思想和行動進行有意識控制的心理過程。 包含了多種能力：計畫能力、組織能力、反省認知、反應抑制、感情自我調、節適應能等。
文章翻譯：山人；校審：brainnews(原創不易， 轉載請聯繫)
文獻資訊：
Curr Biol. 2017 Jun 5;27(11):1561-1572.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.051.
翻譯原文:
The way our brains age helps us develop more self-control as we get older
https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/26/15699608/brain-development-aging-executive-function-skills-neuroscience