Be a good family member to your family.

Author: Li Shunchang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The Plasticity of the Golden Period The weight of a newborn baby accounts for only 4% to 8% of his adult weight, but his brain weight is 25% of that of an adult. This is because, in the womb, the proliferation rate of neurons (brain cells that transmit information) is faster than that of other tissues. During pregnancy, a baby's brain cells increase by approximately 250,000 per minute. Neurobiologist Dr. Peter Huttenlocher at the University of Chicago examined the synapses in the brains of fetuses, infants, and elderly individuals and found that during pregnancy and within the first year of life, infants undergo significant synaptic proliferation. Synapses are the connections between brain cells that transmit information. An adult's brain typically contains about 100 billion neurons, and each neuron has 5,000 to 50,000 synapses, connecting to other brain cells to form the brain's neural network. Therefore, an average human brain has 10 quadrillion connection points. Using a computer analogy, the human brain is roughly equivalent to a computer as tall as 100 floors, spanning the entire state of Texas. Childhood is a golden period in a person's life, during which the neural network in the brain forms countless pathways. Brain cells communicate with each other through these pathways by emitting electronic and chemical pulses—essentially "talking." Frequently used pathways become active, while unused ones gradually atrophy, much like trails in a forest—only the frequently used ones remain. By the age of 12, the brain's structure is fully formed, and no significant physiological changes occur afterward. The stimulation during this period shapes a person's observation skills, memory, storage and processing abilities, determines language proficiency, hand-eye coordination, musical aptitude, visual acuity, logical reasoning skills, personality, and temperament. During the period of highest plasticity in a child, it is essential to stimulate their potential for exploration. To guide a child on the right path is to ensure that they remain true to it even when they grow old.