Child Brain Development

This paper explores the published articles that report on results from research conducted on the central nutrients influence for child’s brain development and function during pregnancy and after birth as well as how it is affect to their adulthood. Brain development begins prenatally and continues through school age. It begins with the formation of brain cells, followed by cell migration and differentiation, and the development of synapses to enable cells to communicate with one another. Myelin is the supportive tissue that surrounds and protects the nerve cells and facilitates communication (Berger, 2012, p.94-105). The brain is a specialized tissue in which functionality depends upon the generation of electrical potentials and their conduction through long axonal components of cell-bodies and through the synaptic gaps between these cell-bodies. These special functions of brain are reflected in a higher need for certain nutrients such as choline, folic acid, iron, zinc and special fats (e.g. gangliosides, sphingolipids and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)). The articles, however, vary …show more content…
Choline is present in the form of phosphatidycholine, a compound that makes up the structural component of fat, and thus can be found in different types of foods that naturally contain certain fats. Choline plays a part in several important processes within the body that are carried out hundreds of times, every single day. What is choline most beneficial for? Choline helps in the process of methylation, which is used to create DNA, for nerve signaling, and for detoxification. It’s also important for the functioning of a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which similarly helps nerves to communicate and muscles to move, acts as an anti-aging neurotransmitter, and performs other basic