Preparation for Child Psych PRITE and Boards
Introduction
- During the first 6 years of life, the brain undergoes a period of rapid growth, increasing from 10% to 90% of adult volume. Most of this growth occurs before the age of two.
- Synaptic density, dopamine receptor density, and cerebral metabolic rates peak in the first 3 years of life and decline over subsequent decades (1).
- Significant myelination begins in infancy and is not completted until adulthood. This process corresponds with better motor coordination and faster information processing.
Development of frontal lobes allows school-age children to better inhibit distracting stimuli and maintain focus on a particular task.
- Synaptic pruning, or reorganization and elimination of cortical synapses, increases through adolescence. Pruning results in elimination of up to 50% of synapses that existed prior to puberty. This remarkable processes is evidenced by declines in brain glucose metabolism, blood flow, and decreased EEG amplitude.
Further Reading
(1) Gleason et. al. Psychopharmacological Treatment for Very Young Children: Contexts and Guidelines. JACAAP 46:12, 12,2007