Preparation for Child Psych PRITE and Boards
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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.
- Significant myelination begins in infancy and continues until adolescence.
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.