A fetus begins growing its gray matter from the replication of special stem cells. All encompassing stem cells are essential, since they provide the ability to develop into any cell type that we have use for in the body, including bone cells, brain cells or heart cells. Most gray matter neurons that are growing in the unborn period will stay with us throughout our entire life, as opposed to any different cell type in the body.
A fetus of a month is growing 500,000 gray matter neurons each 60 seconds! These growing gray matter neurons take their proper place in the gray matter by taking use of supporting cell types referred to as glia. From 16 weeks and forward the neurons will work on forming connections to different neurons. They complete this at a speed of two million connections each second. This wiring of the neurons adheres to a genetic blueprint, acquired from parents, and their predecessors.
At roughly the sixth or seventh month of fetal development the cleaning up begins. In this stage the gray matter will start cutting off lots of connections, while strengthening others. This function seems to be to enable that only the strongest survive, since the neurons that are in the initial link will last while the others that were directed to create the same link, but were too slow, will cease to exist. As with evolution, survival of the fittest.
At the end of pregnancy a infant’s gray matter is less than 1 pound, about one third of the weight of the adult gray matter. Viewing a piece of the gray matter no more significant than a rice grain, it holds approximately 10,000 neurons. After the kid is born the five senses will start growing, of which sight will be the slowest to develop.
Of the total growth of the gray matter, eighty percent will happen since the end of pregnancy. In addition, the pruning of connections, will now occur due to feedback from the outside world as opposed to solely a genetic blueprint. Clinical research projects have shown that when a kid gets immediate information linked to an effort to do something new, including producing a verbal sound, it will process speedier than when no information is received.
After the kid is out of the womb it will use roughly three quarters of the energy it eats for the growth of the gray matter. This demonstrates why babies are typically asleep in these beginning stages, since all of the energy they ingest is reserved for the growth of the gray matter and body.
Tags: Body Brain, Bone Cells, Brain Cells, Brain Functions, Brain Growth, Brain Training, Clinical Research, Fetal Development, Fetus, Five Senses, Genetic Blueprint, Glia, Gray Matter, Heart Cells, Infant Brain, Initial Link, Neurons, Rice Grain, Stem Cells, Training Games