

These glial cells outnumber neurons 10 to 1 but are smaller than neurons thus making u only about half
of the brain tissue. (cech and martin, 1995 as cited by cobb, 2001)

Myelin is a fatty substance that forms the covering of the axon of the neuron, the long filament extending
out from the cell body by which the neuron makes contact with other nerve cells, thereby transmitting
neural message. It is myelin substance that conducts impulses at higher speeds.

 The first to be myelinated is the peripheral nervous system connecting the

sensory perception, brain muscles, spinal cord, and the internal organs and
glands.
o It enables the new born to process information, like receiving and
acting on it from the various sensory system. However the fibers in the
opti tract, responsible for vision are exempted. At birth, these are the
least mature(cech and martin, 1995 as cited by cobb, 2001)

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 Selected attention allows children to focus cognitive ability on the elements of
a problem or situation. Full myelination of the reticular formation and the
frontal lobes enables the children between ages 6 and 12 to function more
like adults in the presence of possible distraction.

 Cell proliferation takes place during the first several years of life, it
contains of the over production of neurons and interconnections. On the
other hand, cell pruning is a continuous process in the childhood
phase. it involves the selective elimination of excess ells and the cutting
back of connections. The two processes afford fine-tunning of neural
development through experience such that frequent interconnection are
retained while the infrequent re pruned. Actually the demands of the
growth process give way changes in the brain metabolism. In the
middle childhood, the neurons of the associated areas- parts of the
brain where sensory, motor and intellectual functions are linked are
myelinied to some degree. Another significant change in the middle
childhood is the ability to identify and act a relationship between
objects in space. Lateral perception in particular faces and objects starts
at age 6, however complex lateral perception is not very strongly
lateralized not until age 8.

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 Behavioral test of the lateralization of spatial perception involves relative
right-left orientation, or the ability to identify what is right and what is left.
o Can be administered to children aged 8 who can identify or differentiate right
from left.

o Those children aged 10-11 will most likely understand the difference between
statements like ‘joey is on my right’ or it’s on my left.

 In the first spurt, the cerebral cortex becomes thicker an neuronal pathways
become more efficient. There is more energy produced and consumed by the
brain during this spurt than in the years following (Fischer and rose, 1994 as
cited by Bee and Boyd, 2002.) it is believed that a qualitatively different
neural network emerges during the brain growth spurt that occurs between
ages 13 and 15, which enables teens to think abstractly and to reflect on their
cognitive processes.

 The second brain growth spurt has the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex as
focus of development ( Davis and Rose, 1999 as cited by Bee and Boyd,
2002). Among older teens dealing with problems requiring cognitive functions
is easier than with younger teens.

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 As early as the 1950’s experiments had been conducted on rats and other
animals. Those living in enriched cages and given the chance to deal with
stimulating apparatuses were found to have heavier brains, more connective
cells and good brain cell connections. Those raised in standard cages or were
isolated have lesser connections.
 The midbrain and the medulla are the most fully developed at birth. These
parts, regulate vital functions like heartbeat and respiration, as well as
attention. Sleeping, walking, elimination and movement of the head and neck.
These are actions a newborn perform moderately well. The least developed
part of the brain at birth is the cortex, the convoluted gray matter wrapped
around the midbrain and is involved in perception, body movement, thinking
and language( Bee and Boyd, 2002).
 Lateralization. The corpus callosum, grows, and matures during the early
childhood years at a faster rate than in any other period of life. It is the brain
structure through which the left and right side of the cerebral cortex
communicate. As this structure grows a functional specialization of the left
and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex is achieved. This process is
called latiralization.
 Among humans 95% of the brain functions are lateralized through a pattern
called left-brain dominance. The remaining small portion of the functions that
accounts for 5% are reversed. The pattern is called right-brain dominance. In
some people the pattern can be mixed dominance where some functions
follow the typical pattern while some are reversed.
 There is a weak association between handedness and brain lateralization. It is
believed that the prevalence of right handedness is a result of genetic
inheritance through a dominant gene common in human population, copy of it
may be received from both parents ( Talan, 1998 as cited by Bee and Boyd,
2002).

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

1.) It is responsible for the increase of the brain

----- glial cell
2.) The brain doubles the weight in how many months?
----- 6 months
3.) It is the process of increasing the number of cell.
----- cell proliferation
4.) It is the process of eliminating some or decreasing synapses.
----- synaptic pruning
5.) It controls attention, the ability to control attention increases significantly during middle
childhood.
---- reticular formation
6.)95% of brain growth is reached by the time a child reaches at the age of what?
---- 9
7-8.) Growth is characterized by interrelated processes, what are those?
---- cell proliferation, synaptic pruning.
9-10.) in the teenaged years, there are two major brain growth spurts one occurring
between ages blank and the second brain growth spurt beginning around age blank and
which continues to early adulthood.
-----13to15, 17
11.) It is responsible for the negatively thinking. for example stress or depression
----- right side hemisphere
12.) It is more on intellectual thinking for example , solving mathematics problem.
---- left side hemisphere.
13.) It is a fatty substance that forms the covering of axon and neurons.
---- myelin
14-15.) As early as the 1950’s experiments had been conducted on rats and other animals.
Those living in enriched standard cages and given the chance to deal with stimulating
apparatuses. now which one were found to have heavier brains, more connective cells and
good brain cell connections?. and which one have lesser connections.?
---- a.) those who have given the chance to live in stimulating apparatuses were found to
have heavier brains, more connective cekks and good brain cell connections.
----b. ) those living in enriched standard cages have lesser connection.