The brain develops at different stages. The majority of brain development takes place in the months just prior to birth. This is the time when the most neurons are being generated. Soon after we are born our brains cells start to differentiate, taking on different shapes and functions. Our brains soon start to make connections and cells are given their instructions as to what their function will be. Chemical signatures help make connections. As neurons reach their designated location they begin to sprout axons. These little fibers then need to find their neurons to begin the process of creating synapses; synaptic connections with postsynaptic cells make the connections, which transmit information from our brains to our body and back. PRO-CHOICE (72) starts to compare the immature brain and connections to that of the adult mature brain. Our author points out that in order for the adult brain to mature that neural activity across synapses must be required. He then refers to selectionist ideas of how genetic and non-genetic factors interact during brain development even from the very beginning. He then touches on exuberance, .
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the belief that more synapses are made than are kept and how if we are to keep those connections that we need to use the connections. He also explains how one study shows that synapses increase and fall during the first year of life and how another study shows that the decrease does not happen until the person goes through puberty. This gives us the idea, as stated in this test, that if this is true then cognitive development is close to being completed when in fact this does not compute nor does it account for the maturation of the mind. The book then touches on use it or loose it, which was introduces in studies that started in the 1960's by David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel. This theory states that in order to keep the connections that you need to use them and that the body will loose any unused connections by eliminating them.