... loss of cerebral plasticity, "the ability of neurons to make new connections, and varied connections depending on the stimulus" (Eubank and Gregg, 1999, p. 69). It is postulated that myelination, which involves the wrapping of axons of neuron cells with an insulating nutrient layer (myelin), causes this loss of cerebral plasticity. Myelination allows neutrons to conduct signals more rapidly, but makes connections between neighbouring neurons more difficult. Since the "[s]trengthening of connections between neurons probably represents the neurobiological basis for learning", including language acquisition (Pulvermuller and Schumann, 1994, p. 691), and most areas of the brain reach full maturation around puberty (p. 713), a likely result is that the ability to acquire language will decrease as the brain matures, and the cut-off for the critical period will be around puberty. Pulvermuller and Schumann also argue that maturation (i.e. myelination) has less of an effect on semantics, pragmatics, and vocabulary than ...

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