Brain Development Case Study

i. How is the brain changing and developing?
A baby’s brain is made up of one less than one pound of gelatinous tissue. The brain of the baby is a complex organ that controls emotions, ideas, memories and dreams. A baby brain goes through enormous changes because it has not completed making complex connection yet because of its lack of experiences. There are about one trillion nerve cells that make connection with each other in order to allow the baby to have a proper functioning body. The union of egg and sperm creates a single cell that undergoes division in order to create an organism. The multiplying cells form an oval ball that start to form a neural tube, where one side of the ball creates the brain and the other part the spinal cord …show more content…
They have discovered how the brain makes these specific neural connections that help in development but the reason is not completely known. The two cases presented in the video showed the problems that two girls named Elizabeth and Holly were facing were due to underdevelopment of the brain. The experts say that a baby is supposed to make many connections while it is still in the womb, but a premature still have neurons that are not connected yet. These unmade connections can make a premature baby extremely vulnerable, but the technological advancements have increased the rate of survival of premature babies. The Intensive Care Unit available at hospitals mimics the womb and problem the same warmth and care as mother’s womb. These care units help premature babies and allow their brain to make the necessary connections. If there are any diseases in infants that might affect the development of brain, technology can improve that. When Holly, a girl with cataracts was unable to process images, her surgery helped her brain see clear images which allowed her to see like a normal …show more content…
A person is the way they are because of the experiences they have had in the past. During infancy, a baby’s brain is very vulnerable and is going to through massive change because infancy marks exposure to a whole new world. An infant is seeing, hearing and feelings things, it has never experienced before. The brain notices that new information is being provided to it and instantly starts to make connections. During infancy, the connections that are made are not permanent are open to change. In order to make the connections permanent and stronger, there must be repetition in the experiences. An infant is new to everything so the brain makes connection at everything they do in order to help them in survival in such a vulnerable time period of