Early Brain Developement

IGCSE psychology 🤍 The brain

Early Brain Developement

The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal chord.

Forebrain, Midbrain and Hindbrain:

When the feotus is around 3 - 4 weeks old, a long tube develops in the brain, which is divided into 3 distinct sections. They are called the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.

Below the hindbrain is the spinal chord.

By 5 weeks, the forebrain and hindbrain have split into two more cavities.

  • The forebrain spilts into an anterior and prosterior section.

  • The hind brain splits in half, to form the medulla oblonganta and the cerebellum.

  • The midbrain does not split.

Now, the brain has 5 sections.

The Cerebellum and Medulla Oblongata

Cerebellum

The Cerebellum is visible in the feotus after 6 weeks of development. A year after birth, It is three times the size.

It is located at the back of the brain, just behind the spinal chord.

Controls physical skills

Actions:

  • The Cerebellum controls physical movement such as balance, and the coordination of muscles.

  • It is involved in responses such as fear, and in fuctions like processing sense information.

Medulla Oblongata

It is formed by the time the feotus in 20 weeks old, and connects the rest of the brain to the spinal chord.

It is located in the hindbrain infront of the cerebellum.

Controls involuntary actions

Actions:

  • It controls actions such as sneezing and breathing.

  • Heart rate and blood pressure

Building Neural Connections from birth

A key part of a baby’s neural development is the increase of neural connections made.

Neural connections: Links formed by messages passing from one nerve cell (neuron) to another.

These connections allow very fast communications between the different parts of the brain.

  • The increase of neural connections made is huge between the ages of 0 - 3 years old.

  • 700 - 1000 connections are formed each second.

The brain doubles in size within the baby’s first year, and reachses 80% of it’s size by the time the child is 3 years old.

The baby needs a lot of positive stimulatiob to ensure he/she has every chance to sucessfully navigate brain development.

Stimulation:

Watching colorful/exciting TV

Musical toys

Peekaboo