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Neurobiological bases of behavioral development in the second year
N Herschkowitz1, J Kagan, K Zilles
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Berne, Switzerland.
Neuropediatrics
|December 22, 1999
Summary
Between ages one and two, key psychological developments like language and self-awareness emerge, linked to significant brain changes. These include prefrontal cortex maturation and increased neural network connectivity, supporting cognitive growth.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive science
Background:
- Children aged 1-2 years exhibit rapid development of crucial psychological skills.
- These skills include language acquisition, moral reasoning, self-awareness, and inferential abilities.
- Simultaneously, significant structural and functional brain changes occur during this period.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the temporal correlation between specific psychological competences and brain maturation in toddlers.
- To investigate the role of prefrontal cortex development and network connectivity in emerging cognitive abilities.
- To propose a neural basis for observed psychological advancements in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on child development and neurobiology.
- Focus on structural, biochemical, and physiological brain changes.
- Analysis of neural correlates associated with language, morality, self-awareness, and inference.
Main Results:
- Key psychological skills emerge between 1-2 years, including language, a sense of right/wrong, self-awareness, and inference.
- Brain changes involve the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and increased network connectivity.
- Maturation of layers III-IV in the prefrontal cortex shows increased dendritic growth and synaptogenesis, enhancing information integration.
Conclusions:
- The observed psychological developments are hypothesized to be based on concurrent maturational changes in the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex and cortico-subcortical networks.
- While temporal correlations do not confirm causation, they provide a basis for testable hypotheses.
- Understanding these correlations aids in generating specific, empirically verifiable hypotheses about early cognitive development.
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