Brain development and Environmental Influences on Development of the Brain

1. Olive R. Orpilla
COED

2.  Brain Development in
a.Infancy
b. Early Childhood
c. Middle Childhood
d. Adolescence
 Environmental Influences on
Development of the Brain

3. Connections that
are used become
strengthened and
survive, while the
unused ones are
replaced by other
pathways or
disappear

4.  Connections that are not used are removed
 After the first birthday, pruning occurs more
quickly.
 A 3 year old child has twice as many
connections as an adult.
 By 10 years, a child has nearly 500 trillion
synapses, which is the same as the average
adult

5. Contains approximately 100 billion+
neurons
Rapid growth begins in all areas
• Frontal lobes are immature
• Occipital & Temporal Lobe
progression
• Sensory areas of Parietal Lobe
mature

7. Connections are made permanent from early
infancy to early childhood
As we mature, the brain physically changes
due to outside experiences.
The first three years see the most rapid
changes due to the bombardment of
experience.
At this time, the brain is most flexible and
prepared to learn.

8.  A brain doubles in weight after 6
months.
Brain development proceeds at an
uneven pace occurring between 3 and
10 months and between 15 and 24
months.
There are 100 billion neurons present at
birth which conduct nerve impulses.
The neurons are nourished by glial cells.
Glial cells outnumber
neurons but are smaller
than neurons.
Production of myelin.

9. a fatty substance that form the
covering of the axon of the neuron.
It is myelin substance that conducts
impulses at higher speeds
Myelination of nerve fibers grows at
different parts of the brain.
The first to be myelinated is the
peripheral nervous system connecting
the sensory perception, brain
muscles, spinal chords and the
internal organs and glands.

10. The number of neuron is constant following
birth.
Ages between 6 and 8 the development of
frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex and the
sensory and motor areas are the primary sites
of brain growth.
Selective attention allows children to focus
cognitive ability on the elements of a problem
or situation.

11.  95% of brain growth is reached by time a
child reaches the age of 9.
• Growth is characterized by interrelated
process namely: Cell proliferation and
cell pruning
 Is the ability to identify and act a relationship
between objects in space.
 Lateralization of spatial perception.
The over production
of neurons
interconnections
Is a continuous
process in the
childhood phase

12. There are two major brain growth spurts
one occurring between ages 13 to 15;
• The first spurt , the cerebral cortex
becomes thicker and neuronal
pathways become more efficient.
• The second birth growth spurt has the
frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex as
focus of development.

13. Frontal Lobes, responsible for reasoning
and problem solving, develop.
Synaptic growth spurts most in temporal
and parietal lobes.
Synaptic pruning occurs mostly in frontal
lobes and adolescent losses 3 percent
matter in frontal lobes

14. Life’s experiences whether better or
worse have lasting effects on the
capacity of the central Nervous
System to learn and store
information
The midbrain are the most fully
developed at birth.
The last developed part of the brain
at birth is the cortex

15.  95% of brain functions
are laterized through a
pattern called left-brain
dominance. The pattern
called left-dominance.
The remaining small
portion of the functions
that account for
remaining small portion
of the functions that
account for 5% are
reversed.