DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROLOGY

The physical structure of the Nervous System begins to develop soon after conception. It continues throughout the embryonic stages and becomes more clearly defined as the fetus grows until it is more or less complete at the time of birth. Although the highest number of brain cells is evident at birth, the nervous system is not fully functional at this time. An analogy would be to that of a blank book – all the pages are there but the words are yet to be written. Experience is the author and our sensory organs are the gateway through which stimuli help organize, integrate, mature and strengthen the nervous system. This process requires adequate and proper sensory stimulation over time in order to mature correctly. Stimulation begins during pregnancy and continues throughout the birth process. After birth, the baby will continue to be stimulated through daily actions and interactions such as all forms of touch, rocking, mom and dad’s voice, lights turning on and off, the taste and smell of different foods etc….

This developmental process takes approximately six years to complete and can be illustrated in the form of a triangle. Imagine that the base of the triangle represents birth while the peak represents age six. If we horizontally divide the triangle into three sections, the base section depicts ages 0-2, followed by ages 2-4 and peaking at ages 4-6 with higher skills such as learning, language, abstract thinking, athletics etc….

It is important to note that most of the maturation takes place in the first two years and if it occurs properly, these critical years establish a strong foundation for the nervous system. As higher skills evolve, they can be based on an expectation of success because they are rooted in a good foundation. Resultantly, a person will go through life with a nervous system that works efficiently, consistently, automatically and in an organized way.

Proper organization means that all elements of the brain appropriately function together in a unified and coordinated way in response to environmental stimuli. If this happens, then that person can utilize and access their full potential. He or she will have a higher and stronger point from which to launch him or herself. However, the opposite is also true. If the base is weak, higher skills have difficulty maturing and the nervous system will function inefficiently, inconsistently and in a disorganized way. As a result, a person will have a potential higher than he or she is capable of demonstrating. We can only perform to the maximum of our nervous system’s inefficiency and, as time goes on and more is expected of us, we continue to lose ground.

In the ideal situation, for each year that passes, we expect a year of improvement in performance. However, in the case of the immature Nervous System, for each year that passes, a progressively larger gap occurs between Potential and Actual performance.

During the first six years of life, the developing nervous system is left vulnerable to a multitude of things that can interfere with proper development such as trauma, injury, genetics, environmental factors and medical issues. The foundation that the nervous system has established by age six, is the foundation that we will use for the rest of our lives. After the age of six, nature does not do too much to help mature the nervous system but with organized stimulation, we can speed up the maturation process and we can influence the direction of this process so that it occurs in a more correct way closing the gap toward true potentiality.

What we use to our advantage here is something called neural plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to continuously learn new skills, relearn old skills, adapt to different types of stimuli and compensate for all kinds of injuries. Our brains are covered with neural maps, which are areas of the cerebral cortex that correspond in detail and proportion to areas of our bodies such as our hands, toes and retinas. Because each of us has a unique physical makeup, it is likely that each brain is as unique as each face and body. These maps are capable of changing depending on need and circumstance. For example, the loss of a single part such as an arm or leg causes its cerebral representation to decrease and the representation of the remaining limbs to increase, thereby, compensating for the loss. The more we use a body part, the more area it covers on the cerebral map.

With adequate nutrition, stimulation from the environment and the use of motor ability, the brain has the incredible capacity to modify its structure, learn new functional skills and adapt to a forever-changing environment and set of human needs. In essence, the developing brain is continually shaped by the constant exchange of inputs and outputs. This reality allows us to access and physically alter the brain and its functional abilities without the use of a scalpel.

Although brain development is flexible, it is, nonetheless, anchored around the framework of basic genetic structure and order. The genes that determine brain development, however, begin without a rigid final plan. Genes offer general guidelines for neural links and functions, which are then refined and reinforced based on use and experience. Primary structure enables the necessary function required for the experiences that will further augment the structure and, subsequently, the function of the brain. In effect, structure determines function, which determines structure and so on.

This phenomenon of neural plasticity continues throughout our life and is immeasurably significant to both children and adults with a brain injury or an immature nervous system. It grants us the opportunity to create and fortify functional ability. Additionally, it helps minimize the cognitive problems that can be associated with age. In summary, the incredible flexibility of the brain allows us to continue learning for the duration of our life.