Understanding the developmental stages of a fetus's brain and the secret relationship between nutrition and brain development lays a solid foundation for helping your baby become a future genius.
The brain's fundamental building blocks are brain cells, or neurons. During embryonic development, neuronal growth occurs in three distinct phases:
Phase 1: Proliferation Stage (3-6 months gestation) – Characterized by increases in both neuron quantity and volume. Growth in cell size and nerve fibers during this phase leads to continuous increases in fetal brain weight.
Stage 2: Proliferation and Enlargement Phase (7-9 months gestation). Both cell count and size increase. During this stage, dendrites proliferate and form synapses—a process far more critical for human intelligence than the mere number of neurons.
Stage 3: The Fattening Stage, occurring from the 3rd to the 6th month after birth. Cell numbers cease to increase, but volume continues to grow and expand, signifying qualitative growth.
Therefore, the structure of the cerebral cortex is already formed by the fifth month of pregnancy, and by the end of the sixth month, the brain's memory function begins to emerge.