[The ontogeny of self awareness. How the cognitive brain is constructed]

We understand the term ontogenesis to mean the process that begins from the moment the ovule is fertilised up to the second year of postnatal life, which is a process that plays a key role in the organisation of the central nervous system.

In this paper we describe the stages of micromaturation (glial cell proliferation, neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, selective apoptosis and general myelination) and the theories of neuronal plasticity are also explained.

The best known ontogenic process is the acquisition of motor maturity, while other areas such as the social and cognitive dimensions are less well known, and this would explain how autistic spectrum disorders remain undetected in the early stages. The somatogram is a valuable tool in the process of maturing that constitutes the foundation for understanding how the cognitive brain is constructed.