neurodevelopment
Brain growth process
Neurodevelopment is the process by which the nervous system—especially the brain—grows and matures from conception through adulthood.
The term appears most often in medical and scientific contexts discussing how neural structures form and change: neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodevelopmental milestones.
Conditions like autism and ADHD are classified as neurodevelopmental because they originate in how the brain develops rather than from later injury or disease.
Nerve signal crossing point
- neuronsSignal-transmitting brain cells
- axonNeuron's signal-sending projection
- dendriteNeuron's input branch
- myelinationFatty nerve coating
glia · neurogenesis · cortex · hippocampus · neurotransmitters · cerebellum · prefrontal · grey matter
Rapid increase in quantity
- differentiationRecognizing meaningful differences
- migrationMovement to new territory
- myelinationFatty nerve coating
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
apoptosis · cell division · growth factors · BDNF · radial glia
At earliest developmental stage
- fetalOf the unborn
- infancyEarliest period of life
- toddlerhoodStage of learning walking
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
adolescence · prenatal · postnatal · neonatal · critical periods · trimester · gestation · puberty
Neurodevelopmental processing difference
- ADHDNeurodevelopmental focus impairment
- dyslexiaDifficulty processing written language
- intellectual disabilityImpaired reasoning and adaptive skills
- speech delaySlower than typical language acquisition
language impairment · learning disability · fragile X syndrome · Down syndrome · cerebral palsy · fetal alcohol syndrome · developmental delay · apraxia
Brain's self-rewiring ability
- critical periodOptimal developmental timeframe
- sensitive periodPeak developmental receptivity phase
- rewiringReplacing electrical connections
- neural pathwaysBrain's communication routes
Gaining knowledge gradually
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
reasoning · comprehension · problem-solving · processing · recognition · executive function · working memory · spatial awareness
Being in seated posture
- walkingLocomotion on foot
- crawlingMoving on hands, knees
- babblingIncoherent or infantile speech
- first wordsInfant's earliest speech
pincer grasp · eye contact · pointing · object permanence · stranger anxiety · self-feeding · toilet training · imitation
synapse
Nerve signal crossing point
- neuronsSignal-transmitting brain cells
- axonNeuron's signal-sending projection
- dendriteNeuron's input branch
myelination · glia · neurogenesis · cortex · hippocampus · neurotransmitters · cerebellum · prefrontal · grey matter · white matter
proliferation
Rapid increase in quantity
- differentiationRecognizing meaningful differences
- migrationMovement to new territory
- myelinationFatty nerve coating
morphogenesis · apoptosis · cell division · growth factors · BDNF · radial glia
embryonic
At earliest developmental stage
- fetalOf the unborn
- infancyEarliest period of life
- toddlerhoodStage of learning walking
childhood · adolescence · prenatal · postnatal · neonatal · critical periods · trimester · gestation · puberty · maturation
autism
Neurodevelopmental processing difference
- ADHDNeurodevelopmental focus impairment
- dyslexiaDifficulty processing written language
- intellectual disabilityImpaired reasoning and adaptive skills
speech delay · language impairment · learning disability · fragile X syndrome · Down syndrome · cerebral palsy · fetal alcohol syndrome · developmental delay · apraxia · microcephaly
neuroplasticity
Brain's self-rewiring ability
- critical periodOptimal developmental timeframe
- sensitive periodPeak developmental receptivity phase
- rewiringReplacing electrical connections
learning
Gaining knowledge gradually
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
language · reasoning · comprehension · problem-solving · processing · recognition · executive function · working memory · spatial awareness · verbal skills
sitting
Being in seated posture
first words · pincer grasp · eye contact · pointing · object permanence · stranger anxiety · self-feeding · toilet training · imitation · turn-taking
- Human Developmentgrowth, heredity, aging, genetics, puberty
- brain sciencebrain scan, brain research, brain map, brain imaging, brain chemistry
- neuroscienceMRI, brain, neurons, synapses, dendrite
- Child Psychiatrychild psychiatrist, child psychiatry, child psychologist, child psychology, child mental health
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- intelligencesmart, IQ, memory, bright, clever
neurodevelopmentneurodegeneration
Progressive loss of neurons
cognitive decline · dementia · brain aging · brain shrinkage · Alzheimer's disease