Brain development and the growth of the neural system is an extremely complex mechanism, one that requires human body to perform a variety of processes over a short period of time. Genetics are said to play the largest role in the process, being responsible for determining the brain structure and early development patterns of the neural system. At the same time, the person’s environment seems to be integral to their ability to properly develop further and grow into a fully realized individual. It is impossible to consider, evaluate or discuss the questions of human neural development without taking into consideration both matter of genetics and outside influences. Studies on twins have shown that placing children in differing environments leads to their brains developing in unique ways, despite the similar genetic makeup. A person’s brain can recognize the effects of negative and positive surroundings, learn from them, form associations and responses that in turn cause a person to grow up in a specific manner. Specifically, children before the age of 1 quickly develop, their brains forming neural connections at an extremely rapid pace.
The development proceeds at a quick rate, up to the point where a part of the synapses formed must be gotten rid of. In the process of determining the connections worth keeping, a person’s brain takes into account their lived experiences and daily life, which in turn shape the direction of a person’s neural growth. Since each person comes to live in a particular manner, and their neural connection is made in a manner specific to them, their ability to accomplish specific tasks may be developed differently from their peers. Language, motor skill, and comprehension are each learned individually depending on the person and their environment. The tendency indicates that a child’s external influences, including such considerations as the financial state of their family, have a profound impact on how their brain comes to develop. The ability of parents to care for their children also impacts the process, with better levels of nourishment and care being crucial to a person’s mental growth and stability. Support from one’s relatives and close ones is positively correlated with the emotional wellbeing of a person. Negative experiences of a child, as a part of the outside influences affecting them, can also bring detriment to their neural growth. In particular, impulsive behaviours were said to lead to people’s neocortex region growing less rapidly, while subcortical, in turn, grew quicker. Similarly, childhood challenges and hardships are told to be responsible for worse brain development.
The studies held and reviewed throughout the years suggest that the maturity of an individual’s brain is a complicated process and has to be considered from both genetic and environmental perspectives. In terms of genetics, a child’s genes help them grow in a specific manner during earlier stages of their development. Most interestingly, the external factors determine how a person’s neural system interprets genetic information and how it applies it, allowing the brain to be versatile and flexible. Before their birth, genes shape a child’s future brain structure in accordance with the state of their mother. Because a person’s neural system using a combination of both external and internal facilitators for growth, it comes to both fulfil its basic functions and have the ability to adapt to its environment. A child living surrounded by a particular set of circumstances can be best prepared for them and have the ability to quickly further grow within them.