Brain Development

A significant element in a child’s life is a relationship with their parent and central to this is the aspect of infant-mother bond (Cook, 1999). Parents play a critical role in modeling the adult lives of their children. A research on early brain development revealed that early intervention of warm and receptive care given to children is critical for their growth. It is vital to encourage and offer optimum care for the young children. The way a child is nurtured is a factor in their early brain development. Positive nurturing care and love towards children in their infanthood up to around 6 years results in a positive brain growth (Tribble, 2012). With both parents working, adverse effects on child development may be experienced. Children

During brain development, beginning in the womb into adulthood, all of these cells must be grouped and organized into specific networks, which create the architecture of the brain (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006). The brainstem, the diencephalon, the cortex and the limbic system are the four major parts of the brain. The brain is organized from the inside out, thus, “the lower and most central regions of the brainstem and diencephalon are the simplest” (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006, p. 21) and are also the first to form, therefore, developing first as the child grows and develops (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006). As the brain develops upward and outward, the limbic system becomes more complex and the cortex is the crowning achievement of the brain structure (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006). These four areas of the brain are organized from top to bottom and inside to outside, although these four areas are interconnected, each one controls different functions such as the brainstem controls body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, as well as respiration. The limbic system and diencephalon control emotional responses that help to guide one’s behavior such as fear, love, joy and anger. The cortex, the top part of the brain, regulates the complex and high functions such as speech, critical thinking, and decision-making (Perry & Szalavitz, 2006). The

The prefrontal cortex, which is the anterior part of the frontal lobes, controls understanding consequences, impulse control, abstract thinking, long range planning, and mental flexibility (Ortiz 93-94). Researchers at UCLA, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institute of Health have been working together to understand brain development. Their research has shown that at a young age the brain overproduces gray matter, which is the overall thinking part of the brain. After this comes the pruning process in which gray matter is removed. Paul Thompson from UCLA describes this time as a "massive loss of brain tissue" (as quoted in Ortiz 94). The average amount of tissue lost per year is one to two percent (Ortiz 94). While this pruning process is taking place the myelination is occurring simultaneously. Myelination is when white matter, what insulates the brain, makes brain process more efficient. This process is also thought to shape brains neural connections for adulthood (Ortiz 95). With age, the brain becomes denser and more organized which makes it better at processing and understanding information. Changes in the brain also can happen late into the twenty's (Beckman 3). A member of the UCLA research team reported that "[The] frontal lobe undergoes the most change during adolescence-by far. It is also the last part of the brain development" (as quoted in Ortiz 94). For most, full brain development is reached during the ages

According to (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013), the brain begins to mature even before birth and it continues to mature throughout life. According to (Jetha & Segalowitz, 2012) all the brain functions do not mature at the same rate. A child with highly advanced verbal skills may develop gross and fine motor control more slowly and have trouble learning to write clearly (Jetha & Segalowitz, 2012). Learning differences are also related to genetics, temperament and environment (Thierry, 2008). As child born it has a function govern like their heartbeats, eating and sleeping.

A common teratogen that causes problems in pregnancy is the use of methamphetamine, a stimulant that affects a person’s central nervous system, by the potential father or mother. Research on methamphetamine abuse among pregnant women is in progress and has been for several years, but the exact effects of prenatal exposure to this drug are still actually limited. It is common for a child of a mother who used meth during pregnancy to have brain development problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), (2013) informs us that there have been only small samples of pregnant women researched for only using methamphetamine, therefore, the results are limited to knowing that “neurobehavioral problems such

A teen brain is undergoing vital and significant developments. Different components of the brain are becoming more interconnected which allows for more communication between neurons and parts of the brain which each carry out specialized functions. The strengthening of the connections is responsible for learning and cognition. The two parts of the brain that grow most during adolescence and early adulthood are the limbic system and the pre frontal cortex. The limbic system is responsible for the drive of emotions and the pre frontal cortex is

It 's hard to say if that is true, but scientists have figured out that the parts of your brain that you use the most, they do grow larger, that means your adult stem cells are working in those sections of your brain, and it becomes

Some neuroscientists have made educated guesses as to the nature of this deletion, and there has been relative consensus that microglia, being part of the immune system, remove the synapses because they appear to be either unnecessary or damaged. This abnormal synaptic pruning could be a significant source of the symptoms of schizophrenia. If this mutation is genetic, then perhaps it could be corrected by sophisticated forms of genetic engineering. Loose associations have also been found between the genes that influence synaptic pruning and those that influence autism and Aspergers disorder. Pruning is also highly dependent on experience [4]. Neural plasticity reaches its peak during childhood and before synaptic pruning begins. Thus, if a child begins to learn a language or any other complex function before synaptic pruning, that function will be deemed important and the neural connections pertaining to it will be kept and strengthened. This gives new meaning to the saying “use it or lose it.” Experiences during and before synaptic pruning are perhaps some of the most important in development, because they directly affect brain function for the rest of the subject’s life. It is thought that connections deleted during pruning cannot be regained. "The fact that there are more connections [in a child's brain] allows things to be moved around," said physiologist Ian Campbell from the

The prefrontal cortex is the last part of the brain that is fully developed. Historically, scientists thought that brain growth and development ceased at age three. Current research indicates that the brain goes through extreme growth and development during the adolescent period. Only 80% of the brain is developed at this adolescent stage, and it is not fully developed until age 25-30

Our brains change as we mature but it's not all about decline. I recently read about a brain scientist with two teenage sons who noticed such changes in their personalities that she started studying all the research reports of the brain during that phase of life. Turns out that a lot of the bad decisions teens make is due to the fact that the brain hasn't finished developing and there's a gap between two important sections of the brain.

Infant learning and brain development is fragile and contingent upon numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The most critical time frame for infant brain development is from the second trimester to the first three months of life (Marshall, 2011). During this time, neural pathways are forming, areas of the brain are maturing, and brain development is rapid. From infancy until the age of 3 years, neural pathways are still being formed in response to stimulation and for this reason, it is extremely important for caregivers and parents to be aware of the many factors that can influence brain development in infants (Marshall, 2011).

During the course of going through the developmental stages of life and aging, the brain is subjected to numerous fluctuations. Several neurons as well

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

Until recently, not much effort had been put into finding out how different regions of the brain develop into maturity. It has however

Brain development in the first two years is the most important and critical. Maria Montessori referred to this time as of the "absorbent mind" Early brain development is the frame work for the road ahead. When and how the brain develops in the first two years will play a critical role into adulthood. At birth, the brain is the only incomplete organ. The brain will continue to grow through childhood and adolescents.