Human brain grows fastest right after birth

The researchers found that the fastest-growing human brain just after birth and about half the size of an adult's brain within the first 3 months of life.

For centuries, doctors have surmised the development of the human brain through the measurement of a child's head circumference over time. Any changes compared to normal growth patterns are closely monitored as they may refer to development problems.

However, since everyone's head shape is relatively different, measuring the head circumference is not always accurate.

Brain scan results reveal, the infant's brain grows fastest, reaching half the size of an adult's brain after 3 months.(Artwork: SPL)

A group of researchers led by experts from the University of California (USA) has tested other measurements. They used advanced brain scanning techniques for 87 healthy children from birth to 3 months of age.

The team found that the fastest rate changes occurred immediately after birth, with the infant's brain growing at an average rate of 1% / day. This speed slowed down to 0.4% / day at the end of the 90-day test.

The researchers also discovered that the cerebellum - the brain region is involved in motor control, which has the fastest growth rate, doubling its original size after 90 days. The slowest developing brain region is hippocampus , a structure that plays an important role in memory and memory formation.

Scientists say the difference reflects the importance of motor skills and memory in newborns.

Brain scan results also revealed, the brains of newborn boys grow faster than the brains of their peers. In addition, at birth, premature babies also have a brain 4% smaller than the brains of full-term, full-term babies. Despite growing at a faster rate, their brains are still 2% smaller than the brains of full-term, full-term babies after 3 months.

According to experts, collecting such data can help them identify early signs of developmental disorders in people, such as autism.

Researchers are now planning to investigate whether the use of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy changes the child's brain size at birth.