What Affects Brain Development?
A number of factors influence brain development, both in utero and over the course of a lifetime, because the brain is never fully developed. In fact, this unique organ is constantly growing and changing in response to experience, and at any given time, things can both enhance and hinder brain development. In utero, the brain starts to develop very early. The mother’s diet can have a profound impact on brain development, especially after 20 weeks. Infections in the mother also appear to have a role in how the fetal brain grows, as does the use of many drugs, ranging from prescriptions to illegal drugs such as cocaine to compounds found in alcohol and cigarettes. Pregnant women have to be very careful about what they ingest because most things work their way to the fetus, and many things can interfere with the growing brain. After birth, the first three years of life are a critical phase in brain development, because the brain is growing and changing rapidly to accommodate the sudden ru
A number of factors influence brain development, both in utero and over the course of a lifetime, because the brain is never fully developed. In fact, this unique organ is constantly growing and changing in response to experience, and at any given time, things can both enhance and hinder brain development. In utero, the brain starts to develop very early. The mother’s diet can have a profound impact on brain development, especially after 20 weeks. Infections in the mother also appear to have a role in how the fetal brain grows, as does the use of many drugs, ranging from prescriptions to illegal drugs such as cocaine to compounds found in alcohol and cigarettes. Pregnant women have to be very careful about what they ingest because most things work their way to the fetus, and many things can interfere with the growing brain.
