Brain and nervous system development

Areas of the brainstem that controls our vital functions including breathing, heart rate, sleep patterns and other automatic reactions are well developed at birth. Other areas in the brain, such as the cranial cortex that controls higher mental functions including the ability to move purposefully, reason, develop language ability and memory, can only really develop after birth. The growth of the brain occurs in spurts with intermediate periods where the knowledge and skills gained can be fully understood prior to the next spurt.

We are beginning to understand what is happening in the brain at a cellular level as it develops and learns.