Why is myelination important to child development

Rehearsing knowledge such as learning spelling creates synaptic connections that will last as long-term memories for life. Synaptic pruning ensures that established connections become efficient, without the clutter of unwanted synapses.

These are the best years for learning; for example, music skills are best learnt up to the age of nine years. Music training in pre- and junior school children is the best way to develop the type of neural connections needed for abstract reasoning, science and mathematics later in life Anon, A lack of education during these years results in deficits in learning that are likely to be a problem for life. For this reason, children in hospital for long periods should be provided with teaching in the wards.

Changing schools can also be disruptive to learning, especially if this happens regularly - children of travelling parents, for example. A long period of stability at the same school is desirable for the best brain development. Other factors affecting learning, such as persistent bullying at school or an unhappy home life, will take a toll on both the brain and intellectual development.

Fine-tuning of motor skills continues throughout childhood, with the development of motor skills programmes rather like computer programs , which are stored as long-term memory in the motor association cortex. These programmes allow skills such as riding a bicycle to become second nature. Developing motor programmes involves repetitive practice of the motor skill, with feedback on performance, and usually forms part of the education curriculum at school, for example, hand-writing, gymnastics, football or learning musical instruments.

Child abuse, be it physical or psychological, has very severe implications on brain development. Detrimental changes in the pattern of synaptogenesis and plasticity occur as a result of the stress from abuse, and these changes have life-long consequences. Child abuse is a menace that threatens the mental capabilities of our next generations Teicher, ; Blows, Myelination of the neurons of the frontal lobes is incomplete until the mid to late teens, or even into early adulthood the frontal lobe is the last part of the brain to mature.

This means that the raw, unmodified emotional responses generated by the amygdala gradually give way to the more reasoned and sophisticated responses of the frontal lobes.

It can make the teenager grumpy, ill-tempered and petulant, with confused emotions. Two brain growth spurts occur in relation to puberty. The first years of age increases the size and function of the brain, especially of motor areas and spatial perception activity.

The second 17 years onwards increases frontal lobe size and its connections with the rest of the brain. The final adult brain weight of between g and g is achieved in the late teens. A major change in memory occurs between 13 and 25 years of age, when memory is at the best it will ever be.

The hippocampus the site of short-term memory shows considerable plasticity during this time Carlson, Cognitive improvement begins about 12 years, and continues into adulthood. This involves using wider cognitive strategies, increased reasoning, hypothetical thinking and systematic problem-solving. After 25 years of age the memory starts to decline, but it can still remain good throughout life.

In boys, testosterone levels during puberty influence behaviour patterns, particularly with regard to sexual behaviour, mood and aggression Carlson, In girls, the influence of oestrogen on brain function is less well understood but it appears to have a calming effect on the brain, reducing aggression. The implications of these hormonal effects are that during puberty, when hormones are both high and possibly unstable, and the frontal lobes are less than mature, obscure and irrational or even criminal behaviour may be demonstrated.

It is unreasonable to say that these changes excuse these individuals for their behaviour, but it is certainly a driving factor, and cannot be ignored. Alcohol and illicit drugs taken during adolescence are likely to disturb brain particularly frontal lobe and hippocampal remodelling, and any change will be permanent.

Read more about: Brain Development. Back to top. Article Why does the developing brain undergo these critical periods in its development? Neuroscientists do not yet fully understand the biological basis of these critical periods. Article When is the brain fully developed?

Become a Member Ready to join? Connect today. We call it gray because neuron cells appear grey. The white matter in our brains is due to myelin. As we learn a new skill, repetition and practice increases the extent of myelination around the axon. A thicker myelin sheath increases the speed with which neurons transfer and interact. And we get better at all sorts of tasks. Motor skills, reading, memory, language, any skill you can think of relies on this repetition and myelination.

The fastest development in our life is in the womb of the mother. Your baby has to learn a wide range of skills to thrive in the environment she finds herself in. The pace and scope of learning is immense. An infant still learning to walk would have much slower response and less coordination than a child or teenager.

This happens because the quantum of myelination in infants is still under progression and less than that in a child or teenager. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerve impulses slow or even stop, causing neurological problems. Early life nutrition shapes myelination and, consequently, cognitive outcomes. There is no need to wait until the baby is born to give it a head start in life. This article on the placenta gives your an idea how these nutrients reach your baby in the womb.

Scientific data shows the association between nutrient deficiencies and neural development. A suite of nutrients, growth factors, and hormones that are important for brain development are abundant in breastmilk, including critical building blocks such as DHA and choline. Fatty acids are structural components of myelin. Both prenatal and postnatal fatty acid deficiency reduces the amount and alters the composition of myelin.

Get adequate DHA and fatty acids for better neuron creation and synapse formation. Iron plays a role in myelin synthesis. Even marginal iron deficiency during prenatal and early postnatal development decreases myelin synthesis and alters myelin composition, which is not corrected with iron repletion. Iodine deficiency in the mother can cause problems. It affects neuron creation, synapse formation and myelination.

It also affects the baby postnatal due to its deficiency in breast milk. It affects fetal neurogenesis, migration, synaptogenesis, and myelination. Lack of zinc can impact neuron formation, migration, and generation of synapses. It can reduce the risk of preterm birth when taken as a supplement. Choline is important for the early development of the nervous system. Gestational and early postnatal vitamin B6 deficiency results in reduced myelination.

Deficiency in folic acid and vitamin B12 is associated with early nervous system formation defects. It sets up the foundation for learning and development milestones. Your email address will not be published.

Disclaimer: The information on our site is only meant as general information. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If you're noticing signs of maturity in your tween, like better reasoning skills, you can thank myelination. This process takes place when a substance called myelin, which is made up of fatty lipids and proteins, accumulates around nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. Myelin plays an essential role in the health and function of nerve cells, the brain, and the nervous system.

Myelination in the frontal cortex of the brain is an important part of the maturing process for adolescents. That's perfectly normal. Nerve cells neurons have long shafts or elongated fibers known as axons.

Myelin forms around the axons in what is often called the myelin sheath. Think of axons as wires of sorts that send electrical signals to the various parts of the body.

Axons connect neurons to other cells, such as fellow neurons, muscle cells, and organs, at sites known as synapses. Myelin is comprised of glial support cells that protect axons, and so it has been likened to the insulation on electrical wires.

Although not all axons have a myelin coating. Myelin enables nerve cells to transmit information faster and allows for more complex brain processes. The myelination process is vitally important to healthy central nervous system functioning. Myelination also occurs in the peripheral nervous system. Myelination begins in utero, when a fetus is about 16 weeks of age and continues into adulthood.