A major ingredient in this developmental process is the serve and return interaction between children and their parents and other caregivers in the family or community. Although genes provide the blueprint for the formation of brain circuits, these circuits are reinforced by repeated use. The interactions of genes and experience shape the developing brain. Because this dynamic process never stops, it is impossible to determine what percentage of brain development occurs by a certain age. More importantly, the connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later.

The early years are the most active period for establishing neural connections, but new connections can form throughout life and unused connections continue to be pruned.

These connections enable lightning-fast communication among neurons that specialize in different kinds of brain functions. * After this period of rapid proliferation, connections are reduced through a process called pruning, which allows brain circuits to become more efficient.īrain architecture is comprised of billions of connections between individual neurons across different areas of the brain. In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second. Simpler neural connections and skills form first, followed by more complex circuits and skills. The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood. The development of a child’s brain architecture provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.īrains are built over time, from the bottom up.

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