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Researchers have found that peoples mental abilities peak at 22 before begining to deteriorate just five years later. Old age or the 'twilight years' begin at 27 as mental prowess start to decline, according to scientists.

A seven-year study of 2,000 healthy people aged 18-60 by Professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found reasoning, spatial visualisation and speed of thought all decline in our late 20s.

Prof. Salthouse said his findings suggested "some aspects of age-related cognitive decline begin in healthy, educated adults when they are in their 20s and 30s.

To test mental agility, the study participants had to solve puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols. The same tests are already used by doctors to spot signs of dementia. In nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22.

The first age at which there was any marked decline was at 27 in tests of brain speed, reasoning and visual puzzle-solving ability. Things like memory stayed intact until the age of 37, on average, while abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or general information, increased until the age of 60.

"Therapies designed to stall or reverse the ageing process may need to start much earlier", Prof. Salthouse said.

This research suggests that the natural decline of some of our mental faculties starts as early as in our 20s and 30s and understanding more about how healthy brains decline could help us understand what goes wrong in serious diseases like Alzheimer's.

Twenty-seven has long and negative connotations, as it is the age which many popular musicians died including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain.

Source: BBC News