Human Brain Development

The human embryo is a single cell at its conception, from that cell grows vital organs such as the brain.

The brain first appears during the first three weeks, by this time the embryo is about a tenth of an inch. The brain is developed as a bump at the end of the neural tube.

The neural tube is a group of cells that are connected into a hollow, extended structure. Glial cells create the physical structure of the brain and other central nervous systems structures. The Glial cells move to their final positions in nuclear groups and layered structures such as the cortex.

As the glial cells move they create contacts with other neurons but when they reach there final position they begin to form into thin strands called axons with the neurons that they connected to during there journey.

In the next 5 weeks major sections of the brain become recognizable and operational. Also during this time a major growth of brain rapidly occurs in the cerebral cortex. These cells then move and create other sections of the brain. These sections are decided by the neuron function. At six months of pregnancy the fetus is working as it would after birth, its forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain and optic vesicle also become visible. By seven months the brain waves of the fetus can be determine through the mother's abdomen. Around nine months the human loses the ability to create more neurons.

By this time the brain of the human is so big that the brain can not grow any further until birth. This is why a human baby is less developed than that of other animals. The human brain continues to grow until about the age of 25.