Dr. Curtis Cripe: Stages of Early Brain Development

Dr. Curtis Cripe: The First Years of Brain Development

Watching a baby grow and develop is always an incredible thing to behold. From birth, their brains begin intricate processes that will lay the foundations for learning throughout life. It's important to know what happens during early brain development stages: neurogenesis or cell division; axonal growth, where new connections between neurons form; synaptic pruning, which streamlines existing neural networks within the brain, among other activities.

According to NTL Group's Dr. Curtis Cripe, the brain continuously develops. Today, he focuses on a development period in a child's brain from infancy to toddlerhood. Over a million neural connections are produced every second during this process. This development is affected by numerous factors, including everything from the child's relationships to their surroundings.

When a baby is born, Dr. Curtis Cripe mentions that its brain already has about all the neurons it will ever possess. The brain size increases significantly, almost doubling, during the child's first year. When they reach toddlerhood, around three, a child's brain would have already reached 80 percent of its adult volume.

In addition, synapses in the brain, primarily responsible for communication, are formed between infancy and toddlerhood. It happens faster than at any other time in their lives. At age two or three, the brain would have up to twice as many synapses as it will have in adulthood, explains Dr. Curtis Cripe.

Genes and external elements can also play an important part in brain development. Genes, for example, can be considered the fuel for mass synapse formation. Meanwhile, the environment can be seen as the instrument that fine-tunes the brain. A child's surroundings also assist in deciding the pathways to keep and dispose of.

Because infancy to toddlerhood is a period for rapidly creating and pruning out synapses, Dr. Curtis Cripe says this is a critical time to learn what needs to be learned. An infant's exposure and practice must be constant to create lasting skills such as a second language.

Additionally, a good environment for brain development can be supplemented through several things. It includes a healthy diet, physical activity, social interaction, and introducing new experiences.

Dr. Curtis Cripe is the director of research and development at the NTL Group. Find more of Dr. Cripe's insights on brain development by clicking on this page.