Brain Energy, Hemispheres, and Lobes

• The brain requires energy to function; it consumes 10 times more energy energy per gram of tissue than the rest of the body
• Despite making up only 2% of body weight, the brain uses 20% of the body's energy, sourcing it mainly from glucose, a sugar from foods, which is vital for sustained alertness and focus.
• Brain cells die when blood flow is interrupted, depriving them of oxygen; short-term oxygen deprivation can sometimes be recovered, but dead brain cells cannot be revived.

Brain Hemispheres and Lobes

• The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side
• Specific bodily functions like movement, vision, and hearing are controlled in specific sections of the cortex; damage to these areas may impair that function
• The brain's neurons can reorganize and adapt to perform functions and repair damage by creating new neural pathways.
• Each hemisphere has four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.
• The frontal lobe, located at the front and largest, is involved in personality, decision-making, planning, and movement.
• The parietal lobe, in the middle, handles spatial relationships, object identification, and interpreting pain, touch, and temperature.
• The occipital lobe, at the back, processes visual information from the eyes.
• The temporal lobe, on the sides, deals with smell, taste, sound, and memory storage.
• The cerebellum, below and behind the brain, coordinates movement using sensory input from the eyes, ears, and muscles, and is fully developed by the end of the second year after birth.
• Specific body areas correspond to points on the primary motor and sensory cortexes; for example, the thumb has a dedicated area in the brain

Neurogenesis, Neurons, and Synapses

• During neurogenesis the brain creates about 86 billion neurons to store and transmit information, though estimating the exact number is difficult.
• All neurons that a person will ever have are created before birth
• A neuron’s structure consists of a cell body, multiple dendrites, and an axon with terminals.
• The cell body stores DNA and produces energy.
• Dendrites receive signals from other neurons.
• Axons and their terminals relay signals to other neurons, with myelin sheaths insulating axons to increase communication speed.
• Neurons are produced in the neural tube of the developing embryo and migrate to form brain structures, using guiding cells; they transmit electrical and chemical signals across synapses
• Around seven weeks after conception, neurons and synapses begin forming in the spinal cord, enabling fetal movements detectable by ultrasound and MRI.
• These movements provide the brain with sensory input that spurs on its development.
• Myelin, a white fatty coating, begins forming on axons during the second trimester, which aids in nerve signal conduction and axon protection, continuing through adolescence.
• Neuron migration occurs by mid-pregnancy, with neurons moving to specialized brain regions; neurons do not physically touch each other.
• Synapse formation involves axons and dendrites growth.
• Dendrites resemble tree roots and receive signals, while axons extend into branches ending in axon terminals, which transmit signals to dendrites.

Cerebral Cortex and Post-Natal Development

• The cerebral cortex handles mental functions like consciousness, voluntary actions, complex thinking, problem-solving, memory, and emotion, starting rudimentary function before birth and maturing gradually.
• Babies are born with a primitive cerebral cortex.
• Sensory abilities are partially developed before birth.
• The brain continues to grow significantly after birth, despite all distinct areas already being in place; no new brain cells are generated, but neurons grow and develop with use.
• Healthy neurons last a lifetime, even though brain damage, strokes, and diseases like Alzheimer's can kill neurons.
• Newborns lack the trillions of neural connections found in adult brains.

Synaptic Blooming and Pruning

• Neural connections form as newborns learn new skills (walking, talking) and information about the world.
• New learning requires new dendrites and connections.
• Lower parts of the nervous system (spinal cord and brain stem) are well-developed at birth, while higher regions (cerebral cortex) are primitive, resulting in vital bodily functions being operational at birth.
• Complex abilities such as crawling and speaking develop gradually as the cerebral cortex matures.
• While all neurons are present at birth, they are not fully mature.
• During the first several years, dendrites undergo exuberant growth, leading to thousands of connections per neuron by age two.
• Synaptogenesis continues from the prenatal period into toddlerhood, during which thousands of new connections form.
• A period of rapid neural growth referred to as synaptic blooming.
• Synaptic pruning follows, wherein connections are reduced to strengthen those frequently used, leading to more efficient brain function and mastery of complex skills.
• About 40% of connections are lost and blooming occurs in early life while pruning continues into adolescence.

Brain Growth and Development

• In the first three years, the brain grows faster than any other body part, mainly through increased connections and myelination.
• The brain reaches 80% of adult size by age three and 90% by age five, largely due to changes in individual neurons.
• Brain growth, measured by weight or volume, results from dendrite growth, which serve as the receiving point for messages from other neurons
• Trillions of synapses and pathways create the wiring of the brain.
• Brain cells, similar to other body cells, create intelligence, emotions, and consciousness through vast networks.
• Nerve cells allow complex tasks like breathing and thinking.
• Brain activity is coordinated through linked brain cells and pathways.
• Neurons communicate with thousands of others.
• Synapses are connection points between neurons where messages are passed but neurons do not actually touch

Synapse, Connections, and Dendrites

• Synapses, connections, and dendrites are almost equivalent terms.
• Infants have more neurons and connections than adults.
• Neurons and synapses that are most often stimulated continue to function, while those less stimulated are pruned and stand in reserve for brain injuries.
• Brain development depends on biological programming and early experience.
• Experiences such as lullabies and books excite neural circuits, strengthening active ones and weakening inactive ones.

Myelination and Neuroplasticity

• Myelination and synapse formation/pruning are the most significant parts of postnatal brain development
• Myelin development is insulation for the axon of a neuron.
• Insulating the nerve cell and speeding up the rate transmission helps to enhance neural pathways and improves coordination
• The development of myelin continues into adolescence.
• Glial cells called Schwann cells generate the myelin coating.
• Myelination begins in fetal development, but little myelin exists at birth.
• The brain stem and parts used for heartbeat and reflex activity are well-myelinated at birth, because that part of the body is the baby's first survival mechanism
• Myelination of the cortex comes later.
• Myelination of the pathways is finished around the first six months of life/
• Neural pathways between the sense organs and the brain are reasonably well myelinated.
• Myelination proceeds rapidly over the first few years of life.
• Some areas of the brain are not completely myelinated until the mid to late teens or early adulthood.
• Defective myelin leads to health issues

Biological Process

• Myelination is a "hard-wired" biological process that does not depend on experience.
• MRI is used to trace myelination.
• The brain can change its structure based on damage or experiences in a process known as neuroplasticity
• Brain plasticity is important for recovery from brain damage
• Abilities lost by brain damage can be regained if needed areas take over the lost function
• Neuroplasticity is greatest in young children.
• The brain's ability to reorganize and compensate for brain damage results in plasticity; rehabilitation shows that it is not an unlimited process
• Neuroplasticity declines with age.
• Neuroplasticity lets us learn and remember.
• Brain regions do not mature at the same rate; motor areas mature quicker than sensory areas
• The prefrontal cortex matures the least; the prefrontal cortex lets kids regulate their behavior and make sound decisions

Early Brain Basics

• Genes equip the brain with materials, and environment and experiences build more connections
• Young children have sensitive brains that learn different activities
• Blood delivers oxygen and glucose to the brain.
• Oxygen and glucose are needed for proper blood flow; if they are interrupted, the cells can die.
• Early experiences affect the rate the brain can access and store information.
• Constant infant stimulation makes synapses permanent
• Children in deprived environments, like orphanages, have poorer cognitive skills than other children
• Infants prioritize certain stimuli, like touch, voice, face, and smell.
• Different types of language stimulation are fundamental to cognitive development.
• Normal, loving caregiving provides the best environment for enhancing the wiring phase.
• The one form of stimulation proven to make a difference is language.
• Researchers at the University of Washington found that infants are viewing TV, DVDs and videos frequently
• A large amount of the content watched was educational.
• Watching tv takes away from appropriate social interactions.
• It is better to watch adult content with a child than to watch baby Einstein content. the The baby Einstein DVDs do not enrich the child.
• the first two years are more impactful for brain growth

Sensory Development

• Early sensory development in infants rapidly develops sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, allowing them to perceive and interact with the world
• Sensory stimulation is the input sensed by senses
• Repetitive and consistent stimulation strengthens these synapses and makes them permanent.
• Transduction of the senses is the conversion of energy from the outside world into electrical signals for brain processing, happening in sensory receptors like eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin.
• The types of sensory transduction include: vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

The Senses

• Vision converts light into electrical signals.
• Hearing converts sound waves into electrical signals
• Smell converts chemical molecules into electrical signals
• Taste converts chemical molecules into electrical signals
• Touch converts mechanical energy into electrical signals
• Light hits the retina, which sends electric signals to the brain.
• Visual images are created by your brain
• Light travels faster than sound.
• A person's brain can predict lightning
• Infants are born with an immature visual system.
• The womb is a dark, non-stimulation place.
• Newborns typically can see 8 to 16 inches away.
• Toys should be black and white.
• Objects at a distance look blurry.
• Faces are most interesting for newborns to view.
• Infants need lots of sights to look at but one at a time.
• Infants are born seeing in black and white and shades of grey.
• Rods help us see in dim light, while cones help us see in color.
• Babies born color blind.
• Colorblindness is caused by the lack of certain cone.
• The face is the most important detail for recognizing eachother.
• Habituation of looking time is a primary tool for assessing mental processes in infancy.
• Moving things capture a baby's attention, but not for long.
• Babies are born with tracking skill and are only able to track objects that are of a particular size, speed, and contrast.
• We have a response area in our brain that is activated when faces are viewed. Damage to this part of the brain results in face blindness or prosopagnosia.
• Babies processing of faces is minimal.
• Infants prefer a female or familiar face as early as three months.

Visual, Depth, and Auditory Perception

• Babies begin showing preference for unusual images and patterns.
• Infants can differentiate depth cues from 3 months.
• Infants become more attentive to depth when they begin to crawl and explore
• The feeling of fear as one feels drop-offs is a very strong phobia for a new baby.
• The auditory system is better developed at birth than the sense of sight.
• Hearing lets us find the source of a sound, detect nearby dangers, and build crucial language skills.
• Infants can distinguish between different sound even while in the womb.
• Infants like the unique sound of the "motherese"
• Newborns like familiarity and prefer sounds that are most familiar.
• Voices can even be learned while in utero.
• Infants are also able to discriminate basic speech sounds-called phonemes- very early in life.
• Babies learn to recognize words that they hear often. -Pain is constructed in the brain
• Touch can be felt in the womb and is important for emotional development.
• Newborns snuggle and love the warmth of others, like getting swaddled.

Taste, Smell, and Muscle Coordination

• Infant senses are stimulated in the womb, as well as taste
• Infants recognize their mothers before they can see them
• Taste relies just on the brain.
• Babies are born not knowing how to discern flavor
• Newborns tend to love sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
• Babies express different facial expressions while tasting.
• Babies like mothers milk and can smell other odors.
• Babies comes from a sterile environment and need to be able to learn how to fight off certain diseases
• Babies can divide much faster.
• babies have more control over their upper torso, limbs, and arms.
• Babies take a while to move to the feet.
• Maturation starts at the head
• Muscle tissue grows over time, but there are muscular accidents.
• The skeleton's width increases in life
• Bone growth relies on lots of important factors.
• BOnes are made in collagen
• Bones are able to heal very quickly using other tissues
• Babies are given anti-bodies during birth and can produce their own anti-bodies when exposed
• All muscle fibers come at birth.

Motor Skills and milestones

• Motor skills are linked to motor developments
• As they develop, milestones come for new children to achieve
• 90% of babies can hold their head up 6 weeks.
• Motor skills refers to our ability to the bodies and its objects.
• Gross motor skills include large muscles that control the head, torso, arms and legs and involve larger movements (e.g., balancing, running, and jumping). T
• They avoid suffocation when they can move their head..
• Motor development is linked to maturing nervous system
• Children learn new skills by the task on hand.
• Infants are born reflexively grabbing things
• Infants are not naturally grasping things.
• The grasping reflex is the involuntary movement made by newborn
• They have the most exciting developments to their world.
• By age five the thumb come into play.
• By 9 month infants spend hours picking up small object.
• The average toddler can wave hello .
• Babies are able to reach out.
• Motor skills are developed in infancy .
• Infant are unable to see clearly.
• After around 3 months infants will roll from their back to the other end of their body.
• Infants prefer to be able to learn how to judge the depths around them, as well as the other's social ques.
• By age 3 they can stand in a line, although it is hard.
• By age five they are able to be graceful.
• Potty training results from a period of learning and growth.
• Most children must learn to control the toilet on their own, although the world is shifting because of expensive materials.
• There is no such thing as potty.
• Most children have no potty control as older.
• Moms train babies out of their desire to protect and work, giving them the resources they need.
• Infants acquire a unique set of locomotives and children still prove on locomotion.
• Fine motor skills also are being refined in activities, such as pouring water into a container, drawing, coloring, and buttoning coats and using scissors.
• Coordination increases with age.