Neurological Development

prenatal neurological development (name the three primary vesicles and what brain region they will go on to form)

the neural tube forms at around 3 weeks gestation;
Prosencephalon: forebrain → turns into cerebrum, limbic system
Mesencephalon: midbrain → turns into top of brain stem
Rhombencephalon: hindbrain → turns into cerebellum, lower end of brainstem (pons, medulla)

neurological development during infancy (also answer: where does most of the volume growth happen and why?)

Huge amount of sensory input all at once, not filtering anything out; Most of the volume growth happens in the cerebellum: because of motor coordination!

synaptogenesis (what is it and how is it measured)

forming new connections between neurons; this happens during early childhood; measured by synaptic density: number of connections between neurons

synaptic pruning

If a pathway is not being used, it will likely be discarded
“use it or lose it”

Perceptual narrowing

Increased sensitivity to things we encounter often and reduced sensitivity to things we don’t

Shaped by experience: what is important to you is shaped by your developmental environment

critical periods

the time during which a given behavior is especially susceptible to, and indeed requires, specific environmental influences to develop normally

romanian orphan study

huge number of neglected children; children who received early intervention showed improvements in:

• IQ, Language

• Height

• Brain structure + function

• Lower rate of psychiatric disorder