At what age does the nervous system of a newborn develop? Homo sapiens

Even during the period of stay baby it forms in his mother's tummy nervous system, which will subsequently control reflexes baby. Today we will talk in more detail about the features of the formation of the nervous system and what parents need to know about it.

In the womb fetus receives everything he needs, he is protected from dangers and diseases. During the formation of the embryo, it brain produces about 25 thousand nerve cells. For this reason, the future Mother must think and take care of one's own health so that there are no negative consequences for the baby.

By the end of the ninth month, the nervous system reaches almost full development. But despite this, the adult brain is more complex than the brain that has just been born. baby.

During normal operation pregnancy and childbirth, the baby is born with a formed CNS, but at the same time she is not yet mature enough. Tissue develops after birth brain, however, the number of nervous system cells in it does not change.

U baby All the convolutions are present, but they are not sufficiently expressed.

The spinal cord is fully formed and developed by the time the baby is born.

Effect of the nervous system

After birth child finds himself in the unknown and strange for him world, to which you need to adapt. This is precisely the task that the baby’s nervous system performs. She is primarily responsible for congenital reflexes, which include grasping, sucking, protective, crawling, and so on.

Within 7-10 days of a child’s life, conditioned reflexes begin to form, which often control intake. food.

As the child grows up, some reflexes disappear. It is by this process doctor judges whether a child has failures in the functioning of the nervous system.

The central nervous system controls performance organs and systems of the whole body. But due to the fact that it is not yet completely stable, the baby may experience Problems: colic, unsystematic bowel movements, moodiness, and so on. But as it matures, everything returns to normal.

In addition, the central nervous system also affects schedule baby. Everyone knows that babies spend most of the day sleeping. However, there are also deviations, in which consultation with a neurologist is necessary. To clarify: in the first days after birth newborn should sleep between five minutes and two hours. Then comes a period of wakefulness, which lasts 10-30 minutes. Deviations from these indicators may indicate problems.

It is important to know

You should know that the baby’s nervous system is quite flexible and is characterized by exceptional ability to re-creation - it happens that dangerous signs that were identified by doctors after the birth of the baby, in the future simply disappear.

For this reason, one medical inspection cannot be used as staging diagnosis. This requires a large amount surveys several doctors.

Do not panic if upon examination neurologist the baby will show certain abnormalities in the functioning of the nervous system - for example, changes in tone muscles or reflexes. As you know, babies have a special reserve strength, the main thing is to detect the problem in time and find ways to solve it.

Closely monitor your baby's health from the day conception and promptly prevent the impact of negative factors on his health.

The central nervous system, together with the peripheral parts of the distant analyzers, develops from the outer germ layer - the ectoderm. The formation of the neural tube occurs in the 4th week of embryonic development; subsequently, the brain vesicles and spinal cord are formed from it. The most intensive formation of structures of the central nervous system occurs on days 15-25 of pregnancy (Table 10-2).

The structural design of the brain regions is closely related to the processes of differentiation of neural elements occurring in them and the establishment of morphological and functional connections, as well as with the development of peripheral nervous systems (receptors, afferent and efferent pathways, etc.). Towards the end of the embryonic period of development, the fetus exhibits the first manifestations nervous activity, which are expressed in elementary forms of motor activity.

Functional maturation of the central nervous system occurs during this period in the caudo-cranial direction, i.e. from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex. In this regard, the functions of the fetal body are regulated mainly by the structures of the spinal cord.

By 7-10 weeks prenatal period Functional control over the more mature spinal cord begins to be exercised by the medulla oblongata. From 13-14 weeks, signs of control of the underlying parts of the central nervous system from the midbrain appear.

Brain vesicles form the cerebral hemispheres, up to 4 one month old During intrauterine development, their surface is smooth, then primary grooves of the sensory fields of the cortex appear, at the 6th month - secondary ones, and tertiary ones continue to form after birth. In response to stimulation of the cerebral cortex of the fetus, up to 7 months of its development, no reactions occur. Consequently, at this stage the cerebral cortex does not determine the behavior of the fetus.

During the embryonic and fetal periods of ontogenesis, a gradual complication of the structure and differentiation of neurons and glial cells occurs.

Table 10-2.

Brain development in the antenatal period

age, weeks	length, mm	Features of brain development
		A neural groove is outlined
		The well-defined neural groove closes quickly; the neural crest looks like a continuous ribbon
		The neural tube is closed; 3 primary brain vesicles formed; nerves and ganglia are formed; the formation of the ependymal, mantle and marginal layers has ended
		Forming 5 brain bubbles; the cerebral hemispheres are outlined; nerves and ganglia are more clearly expressed (the adrenal cortex is isolated)
		3 primary bends of the neural tube are formed; the nerve plexuses are formed; the epiphysis (pineal body) is visible; sympathetic nodes form segmental clusters; the meninges are outlined
		The hemispheres of the brain reach a large size; the striatum and thalamus are well defined; the funnel and Rathke's pocket are closed; choroid plexuses appear (the adrenal medulla begins to penetrate the cortex)
		Typical nerve cells appear in the cerebral cortex; olfactory lobes are noticeable; the hard, soft and arachnoid membranes of the brain are clearly visible; chromaffin bodies appear
		The definitive internal structure of the spinal cord is formed
		General structural features of the brain appear; cervical and lumbar thickenings are visible in the spinal cord; the cauda equina and filum terminale of the spinal cord are formed, differentiation of neuroglial cells begins
		The hemispheres cover most of the brain stem; lobes of the brain become visible; quadrigeminal tubercles appear; the cerebellum becomes more pronounced
		The formation of brain commissures is completed (20 weeks); myelination of the spinal cord begins (20 weeks); typical layers of the cerebral cortex appear (25 weeks); the furrows and convolutions of the brain develop rapidly (28-30 weeks); myelination of the brain occurs (36-40 weeks)

The neocortex is already divided into layers in a fetus of 7-8 months of age, but the highest rates of growth and differentiation of cellular elements of the cortex are observed in the last 2 months of pregnancy and in the first months after birth. The pyramidal system, which provides voluntary movements, matures later than the extrapyramidal system, which controls involuntary movements. An indicator of the degree of maturity of nerve structures is the level of myelination of its conductors. Myelination in the embryonic brain begins in the 4th month of intrauterine life from the anterior roots of the spinal cord, preparing motor activity; then the dorsal roots, the spinal cord pathways, and the afferents of the acoustic and labyrinthine systems are myelinated. In the brain, the process of myelination of conductive structures continues in the first 2 years of a child’s life, persisting in adolescents and even adults.

Very early (7.5 weeks) the fetus develops a well-defined local reflex to lip irritation. The reflexogenic zone of the sucking reflex by the 24th week of intrauterine development significantly expands and is evoked from the entire surface of the face, hand, and forearm. In postnatal ontogenesis, it decreases to the lip surface area.

Reflexes to tactile stimulation of the skin of the upper extremities appear in the fetus by the 11th week. The skin reflex during this period is most clearly evoked from the palmar surface and appears in the form of isolated movements of the fingers. By 11 weeks, these finger movements are accompanied by flexion of the wrist, forearm, and pronation of the hand. By the 15th week, stimulation of the palm leads to flexion and fixation of the fingers in this position, and the previously generalized reaction disappears. By the 23rd week, the grasping reflex strengthens and becomes strictly local. By the 25th week, all tendon reflexes of the hand become clear.

Reflexes when stimulating the lower extremities appear by the 10-11th week of fetal development. The first to appear is the flexor reflex of the toes to irritation of the sole. By 12-13 weeks, the flexor reflex to the same irritation is replaced by a fan-shaped spreading of the fingers. After 13 weeks, the same movement to irritate the sole is accompanied by movements of the foot, lower leg, and thigh. At an older age (22-23 weeks), irritation of the sole causes predominantly flexion of the toes.

By the 18th week, the trunk flexion reflex appears when the lower abdomen is irritated. By the 20-24th week, muscle reflexes appear abdominal wall. By the 23rd week, respiratory movements can be caused in the fetus by irritation of various parts of the skin surface. By the 25th week, the fetus can breathe independently, however, respiratory movements that ensure the survival of the fetus are established only after 27 weeks of its development.

Thus, the reflexes of the skin, motor and vestibular analyzers appear already at early stages intrauterine development. In the later stages of intrauterine development, the fetus is able to respond with facial movements to taste and smell irritations.

During the last 3 months of intrauterine development, the reflexes necessary for the survival of a newborn child mature in the fetus: the cortical regulation of indicative, protective and other reflexes begins to be realized, the newborn already has protective and feeding reflexes; reflexes from muscles and skin become more localized and targeted. In the fetus and newborn, due to the small number of inhibitory mediators, generalized excitation easily occurs in the central nervous system even with very small forces of stimulation. The strength of inhibitory processes increases as the brain matures.

The stage of generalization of responses and the spread of excitation throughout the brain structures persists until birth and for some time after it, but it does not prevent the development of complex vital reflexes. For example, by 21-24 weeks the sucking and grasping reflex is well developed.

Already in the 4th month of its development, the fetus has a well-developed proprioceptive muscular system, tendon and vestibular reflexes are clearly evoked, and at 3-5 months there are already labyrinthine and cervical tonic position reflexes. Tilt and rotation of the head is accompanied by extension of the limbs of the side in which the head is turned.

The reflex activity of the fetus is provided mainly by the mechanisms of the spinal cord and brain stem. However, the sensorimotor cortex already reacts with excitation to stimulation of the trigeminal nerve receptors on the face, receptors on the skin surface of the extremities; in a 7-8 month old fetus visual cortex reactions to light stimuli occur, but during this period the cortex, perceiving the signals, is excited locally and does not transmit the significance of the signal to brain structures other than the motor cortex.

In the last weeks of intrauterine development, the fetus alternates between “rapid” and “slow” sleep, with REM sleep occupying 30-60% of the total sleep time.

The entry of nicotine, alcohol, drugs, medications and viruses into the fetal bloodstream affects the health of the unborn child, and in some cases can lead to intrauterine fetal death.

Nicotine, entering the blood of the mother into the blood of the fetus, and then into the nervous system, affects the development of inhibitory processes, and thereby reflex activity, differentiation, which will subsequently affect memory processes and concentration. The effect of alcohol also causes gross disturbances in the maturation of the nervous system and disrupts the sequence of development of its structures. The drugs his mother uses are depressing him. physiological centers, forming natural endorphins, which can subsequently lead to dysfunction of the sensory system and hypothalamic regulation.

10.2 . Features of the development and functioning of the central nervous system in postnatal ontogenesis.

The general plan of the structure of the cortex in a newborn child is the same as in an adult. The mass of his brain is 10-11% of his body weight, and in an adult it is only 2%.

The total number of neurons in the newborn’s brain is equal to the number of neurons in an adult, but the number of synapses, dendrites and axon collaterals, and their myelination in newborns lags significantly behind the adult brain (Table 10-1).

The newborn's cortical areas mature heterochronically. The somatosensory and motor cortex matures most early. This is explained by the fact that the somatosensory cortex of all sensory systems receives the largest amount of afferent impulses; the motor cortex also has significantly greater afferentation than other systems, since it has connections with all sensory systems and has the most larger number polysensory neurons.

By the age of 3, almost all areas of the sensory and motor cortex have matured, with the exception of the visual and auditory cortex. The associative cerebral cortex matures most late. A leap in the development of associative areas of the cerebral cortex is observed at 7 years of age. The maturation of associative zones proceeds at an increasing pace until puberty, and then slows down and ends at 24-27 years of age. Later than all the associative areas of the cortex, the associative areas of the frontal and parietal cortex complete maturation.

Maturation of the cortex means not only the establishment of interaction between cortical structures, but also the establishment of interaction between the cortex and subcortical formations. These relationships are established by the age of 10-12, which is very important for regulating the activity of body systems during puberty, when the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary system increases, as well as systems related to sexual development and the development of endocrine glands.

Period newborns (neonatal period). Maturation of the child’s cerebral cortex in the process of postembryonic development at the cellular level occurs due to a gradual increase in the size of the primary, secondary and tertiary zones of the cortex. The older the child is, the larger the size of these cortical zones, and the more complex and varied his mental activity becomes. In a newborn, the associative neural layers of the cerebral cortex are poorly developed and are improved only during normal development. With congenital dementia, the upper layers of the cerebral cortex remain underdeveloped.

Already in the first hours after birth, the child’s tactile and other reception systems are developed, so the newborn has a number of protective reflexes to painful and tactile stimuli, and reacts quickly to temperature stimuli. Of the distant analyzers, the auditory one is the most well developed in a newborn child. The visual analyzer is the least developed. Only towards the end of the newborn period are coordinated movements of the left and right established. eyeballs. However, the reaction of the pupils to light occurs already in the first hours after birth (congenital reflex). By the end of the newborn period, the ability for eye convergence appears (Table 10-3).

Table 10-3.

Score (points) age development newborn (1st week)

Index	Answer rating
Dynamic functions
Sleep-wake ratios		Sleeps peacefully, wakes up only to feed or when wet, falls asleep quickly	Sleeps peacefully and does not wake up wet and for feeding or full and dry does not fall asleep	Doesn't wake up hungry and wet, but full and dry doesn't fall asleep or often screams for no reason	Very difficult to wake up or sleeps little, but does not scream or screams constantly
		The cry is loud, clear with a short inhalation and an extended exhalation	The cry is quiet, weak, but with a short inhalation and an extended exhalation	Painful, shrill cry or isolated sobs when inhaling	There is no cry or isolated screams, or the cry is aphonic
Unconditioned reflexes		All unconditioned reflexes are evoked, symmetrical	Requires longer stimulation or depletes quickly or is not consistently asymmetrical	All are evoked, but after a long latent period and repeated stimulation, they are quickly depleted or persistently asymmetrical	Most reflexes are not evoked
Muscle tone		Symmetrical flexor tone overcome by passive movements	Mild asymmetry or tendency towards hypo- or hypertension that does not affect posture and movement	Permanent asymmetries, hypo- or hyper-, limiting spontaneous movements	Poses of opistho-tonus or embryo or frog
Asymmetrical cervical tonic reflex (ASTR)		When turning the head to the side, the “facial” arm is inconsistently extended		Constant extension or lack of extension of the arm when turning the head to the side	Swordsman's Pose
Chain symmetrical reflex		Absent
Sensory reactions		Squints and worries in bright light; turns his eyes towards the source of light and flinches at a loud sound	One of the reactions is questionable	One of the reactions scoring answer 3 is missing or 2-3 reactions are questionable	All reactions rating answer 3 are missing

The motor activity of a newborn child is erratic and uncoordinated. The neonatal period of a full-term baby is characterized by predominant activity of the flexor muscles. The chaotic movements of the child are caused by the activity of subcortical formations and the spinal cord that is not coordinated by cortical structures.

From the moment of birth, the most important unconditioned reflexes begin to function in the newborn (Table 10-4). The first cry of a newborn, the first exhalation are reflexive. In a full-term baby, three unconditioned reflexes are well expressed - food, defensive and indicative. Therefore, already in the second week of life, he develops conditioned reflexes (for example, the position reflex for feeding).

Table 10-4.

Reflexes of a newborn.

	Determination method	A brief description of
Babinsky	Lightly stroking the foot from heel to toes	Bends the first toe and extends the rest
	Unexpected noise (such as hand clapping) or rapid movement of the baby's head	Spreads his arms to the sides and then crosses them over his chest
Closing (closing eyelids)	Flash Light	Closes his eyes
Prehensile	A finger or pencil is placed in the child's hands	Grabs a finger (pencil) with your fingers

In the neonatal period, there is a rapid maturation of reflexes already existing before birth, as well as the appearance of new reflexes or their complexes. The mechanism of reciprocal inhibition of spinal, symmetrical and reciprocal reflexes is enhanced.

In a newborn, any irritation causes an orientation reflex. Initially, it manifests itself as a general shuddering of the body and inhibition of motor activity with holding the breath; subsequently, a motor reaction of the arms, legs, head, and torso occurs to external signals. At the end of the first week of life, the child reacts to signals with an indicative reaction with the presence of some vegetative and exploratory components.

A significant turning point in the development of the nervous system is the stage of the emergence and consolidation of anti-gravity reactions and the acquisition of the ability to carry out purposeful locomotor acts. Starting from this stage, the nature and degree of intensity of the implementation of motor behavioral reactions determine the characteristics of the growth and development of a given child. In this period, there is a phase of up to 2.5-3 months, when the child first consolidates first anti-gravity reaction, characterized by the ability to hold the head in a vertical position. The second phase lasts from 2.5-3 to 5-6 months, when the child makes his first attempts to realize second anti-gravity reaction– sitting posture. Direct emotional communication between a child and his mother increases his activity and becomes a necessary basis for the development of his movements, perception, and thinking. Insufficient communication negatively affects its development. Children who end up in an orphanage are lagging behind in mental development (even with good hygienic care), and they develop speech late.

Hormones from mother's milk are necessary for the child for the normal maturation of the mechanisms of his brain. For example, more than half of women who received artificial feeding in early childhood suffer from infertility due to a lack of prolactin. Prolactin deficiency in breast milk disrupts the development of the dopaminergic system of the child’s brain, which leads to underdevelopment of the inhibitory systems of his brain. In the postnatal period, the developing brain has a high need for anabolic and thyroid hormones, since at this time the synthesis of nervous tissue proteins occurs and the process of its myelination occurs.

Hormones contribute significantly to the development of the child’s central nervous system. thyroid gland. In newborns and during the first year of life, the level of thyroid hormones is maximum. A decrease in the production of thyroid hormones in the fetal or early postnatal periods leads to cretinism due to a decrease in the number and size of neurons and their processes, inhibition of the development of synapses, and their transition from potential to active. The process of myelination is ensured not only by thyroid hormones, but also by steroid hormones, which is a manifestation of the body’s reserve capabilities in regulating brain maturation.

For the normal development of various brain centers, their stimulation by signals carrying information about external influences is necessary. The activity of brain neurons is prerequisite development and functioning of the central nervous system. During the process of ontogenesis, those neurons that, due to a deficiency of afferent influx, have not established a sufficient number of effective synaptic contacts will not be able to function. The intensity of sensory influx determines the ontogeny of behavior and mental development. Thus, as a result of raising children in a sensory enriched environment, an acceleration of mental development is observed. Adaptation to the external environment and learning of deaf-blind children are possible only with an increased influx of afferent impulses into the central nervous system from preserved skin receptors.

Any dosed effects on the sensory organs, motor system, speech centers perform multi-purpose functions. Firstly, they have a system-wide effect, regulating the functional state of the brain, improving its functioning; secondly, they contribute to changes in the speed of brain maturation processes; thirdly, they ensure the deployment of complex programs of individual and social behavior; fourthly, they facilitate association processes during mental activity.

Thus, high activity sensory systems accelerates the maturation of the central nervous system and ensures the implementation of its functions as a whole.

At the age of about 1 year, the child develops third antigravity reaction– implementation of standing pose. Before its implementation, the physiological functions of the body mainly ensure growth and preferential development. After implementing the standing pose, the child has new opportunities to coordinate movements. The standing position promotes the development of motor skills and speech formation. A critical factor for the development of the corresponding cortical structures in this age period is the preservation of the child’s communication with his own kind. Isolation of a child (from people) or inadequate upbringing conditions, for example among animals, despite the genetically determined maturation of brain structures at this critical stage of ontogenesis, the body does not begin to interact with human-specific environmental conditions that would stabilize and promote the development of mature structures. Therefore, the emergence of new human physiological functions and behavioral reactions is not realized. In children raised in isolation, the speech function is not realized, even when the isolation from people ends.

In addition to critical age periods, there are sensitive periods of development of the nervous system. This term refers to periods of greatest sensitivity to certain specific influences. The sensitive period of speech development lasts from one to three years, and if this stage is missed (there was no verbal communication with the child), it is almost impossible to compensate for the losses in the future.

In the age period 1 year to 2.5-3 years . During this age period, locomotor acts in the environment (walking and running) are mastered due to the improvement of reciprocal forms of inhibition of antagonist muscles. The development of the child’s central nervous system is greatly influenced by afferent impulses from proprioceptors, which arise during contraction of skeletal muscles. There is a direct connection between the level of development of the musculoskeletal system, the child’s motor analyzer and his general physical and mental development. The influence of motor activity on the development of child brain functions manifests itself in specific and nonspecific forms. The first is due to the fact that the motor areas of the brain are a necessary element of its activity as a center for organizing and improving movements. The second form is associated with the influence of movements on the activity of cortical cells of all brain structures, the increase of which contributes to the formation of new conditioned reflex connections and the implementation of old ones. The subtle movements of children's fingers are of key importance in this. In particular, the formation of motor speech is influenced by coordinated movements of the fingers: when training precise movements, vocal reactions in children 12-13 months of age develop not only more intensely, but also turn out to be more perfect, speech becomes clearer, and complex word combinations are easier to reproduce. As a result of training fine finger movements, children master speech very quickly, significantly ahead of the group of children in which these exercises were not carried out. The influence of proprioceptive impulses from the arm muscles on the development of the cerebral cortex is most pronounced in childhood, while the speech motor area of ​​the brain is being formed, but it persists at older ages.

Thus, the child’s movements are not only an important factor in physical development, but are also necessary for normal mental development. Restricted mobility or muscle overload disrupts the harmonious functioning of the body and can be a pathogenetic factor in the development of a number of diseases.

3 years - 7 years. 2.5–3 years is another turning point in the development of a child. The intensive physical and mental development of a child leads to intense work of the physiological systems of his body, and if the demands are too high, to their “breakdown”. The nervous system is especially vulnerable; its overstrain leads to the appearance of minor brain dysfunction syndrome, inhibition of the development of associative thinking, etc.

The child's nervous system school age extremely plastic and sensitive to various external influences. Early preschool age is most favorable for improving the functioning of the senses and accumulating ideas about the world around us. Many connections between the nerve cells of the neocortex, even those present at birth and determined by hereditary growth mechanisms, must be reinforced during the period of communication of the organism with the environment, i.e. these connections must be called upon on time. Otherwise, these connections will no longer be able to function.

One of the objective indicators of the degree of functional maturity of a child’s brain can be functional interhemispheric asymmetry. The first stage of the formation of interhemispheric interaction lasts from 2 to 7 years and corresponds to the period of intensive structural maturation of the corpus callosum. Until the age of 4, the hemispheres are relatively separated, however, by the end of the first period, the possibilities of transmitting information from one hemisphere to the other increase significantly.

Preference for the right or left hand is clearly evident already at 3 years of age. The degree of asymmetry progressively increases from 3 to 7 years, further increase in asymmetry is insignificant. The rate of progressive increase in asymmetry in the interval of 3-7 years is higher in left-handers than in right-handers. With age, when comparing preschoolers and primary schoolchildren, the degree of preference for using the right arm and leg increases. At the age of 2-4 years, 38% are right-handed, and by 5-6 years – already 75%. In abnormal children, the development of the left hemisphere is significantly delayed and functional asymmetry is weakly expressed.

Among the exogenous factors that cause the appearance of signs of developmental disorders of the central nervous system, the environment is of significant importance. A neuropsychological examination of children aged 6-7 years in cities with an unfavorable environmental situation reveals deficits in motor coordination, auditory-motor coordination, stereognosis, visual memory, and speech functions. Motor clumsiness, decreased auditory perception, slowness of thinking, weakened attention, and insufficient development of intellectual skills were noted. A neurological examination reveals microsymptoms: anisoreflexia, muscular dystonia, impaired coordination. A connection has been established between the frequency of disorders of the neuropsychological development of children with the pathology of their perinatal period and deviations in the health at this time of parents employed in environmentally unfavorable industries.

7 – 12 years. The next stage of development - 7 years (the second critical period of postnatal ontogenesis) - coincides with the beginning of schooling and is caused by the need for the child’s physiological and social adaptation to school. The spread of the practice of primary education in expanded and in-depth programs in pursuit of an increase in the educational and pedagogical indicators of children leads to a significant breakdown in the neuropsychic status of the child, which is manifested by a decrease in performance, deterioration of memory and attention, changes in the functional state of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, disorders vision in first-graders.

The majority of preschool children normally exhibit right hemisphere dominance, even in speech production, which apparently indicates a predominance of figurative, concrete perception of the external world, carried out mainly by the right hemisphere. In children of primary school age (7-8 years old), the most common type of asymmetry is mixed, i.e. For some functions, the activity of the right hemisphere predominated, for others, the activity of the left hemisphere predominated. However, the complication and steady development of second-signal conditioned connections with age apparently causes an increase in the degree of interhemispheric asymmetry, as well as an increase in the number of cases of left-hemispheric asymmetry in 7 and especially 8-year-old children. Thus, at this period of ontogenesis, a change in phase relations between the hemispheres and the formation and development of dominance of the left hemisphere are clearly visible. Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies of left-handed children indicate a lower degree of maturity of their neurophysiological mechanisms compared to right-handed children.

At the age of 7-10 years, the corpus callosum increases in volume due to ongoing myelination, the relationship between callosal fibers and the neural apparatus of the cortex becomes more complex, which expands the compensatory interactions of symmetrical brain structures. By the age of 9-10 years, the structure of interneuronal connections of the cortex becomes significantly more complex, ensuring the interaction of neurons both within the same ensemble and between neuronal ensembles. If in the first years of life the development of interhemispheric relations is determined by the structural maturation of the corpus callosum, i.e. interhemispheric interaction, then after 10 years the dominant factor is the formation of intra- and interhemispheric organization of the brain.

12 – 16 years old. The period is puberty, or adolescence, or high school age. It is usually characterized as age crisis, in which a rapid and violent morphophysiological transformation of the body takes place. This period corresponds to the active maturation of the neural apparatus of the cerebral cortex and the intensive formation of the ensemble functional organization of neurons. At this stage of ontogenesis, the development of associative intrahemispheric connections of various cortical fields is completed. Improvement with age of morphological intrahemispheric connections creates conditions for the formation of specialization in the implementation of various types of activities. The increasing specialization of the hemispheres leads to the complication of functional interhemispheric connections.

Between the ages of 13 and 14 years, there is a pronounced divergence in developmental characteristics between boys and girls.

17 years – 22 years (juvenile period). Adolescence for girls begins at 16, and for boys at 17 years old and ends at 22-23 years old for boys, and at 19-20 years old for girls. During this period, the onset of puberty stabilizes.

22 years - 60 years. The period of puberty, or the childbearing period, within which the morphophysiological characteristics established before it remain more or less unambiguous, is a relatively stable period. Damage to the nervous system at this age can be caused by infectious diseases, strokes, tumors, injuries and other risk factors.

Over 60 years old. The stationary childbearing period is replaced by regressive period individual development, which includes next stages: 1st stage – period of old age, from 60 to 70-75 years; Stage 2 – period of old age from 75 to 90 years; Stage 3 – long-livers – over 90 years old. It is generally accepted that changes in morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters statistically correlate with an increase in chronological age. The term “aging” refers to the progressive loss of restorative and adaptive responses that serve to maintain normal functionality. For the central nervous system, aging is characterized by asynchronous changes in the physiological state various structures brain

When aging occurs quantitative and qualitative changes in the structures of the central nervous system. An increasing decrease in the number of neurons begins at the age of 50-60 years. By the age of 70, the cerebral cortex loses 20%, and by the age of 90, 44-49% of its cellular composition. The greatest losses of neurons occur in the frontal, inferotemporal, and association areas of the cortex.

Due to the specialization of the neural structures of the brain, a decrease in its cellular composition in one of them affects the activity of the central nervous system as a whole.

Simultaneously with degenerative-atrophic processes during aging, mechanisms are developed that help maintain the functionality of the central nervous system: the surface of the neuron, organelles, nuclear volume, number of nucleoli, and the number of contacts between neurons increase.

Along with the death of neurons, an increase in gliosis occurs, this leads to an increase in the ratio of the number of glial cells to nerve cells, which has a beneficial effect on the trophism of the neuron.

It should be noted that there is no direct connection between the number of dead neurons and the degree of functional changes in the activity of a particular brain structure.

Weaken with aging descending influences of the brain on the spinal cord. In old age, spinal cord injuries have a less lasting depressive effect on spinal cord reflexes. A weakening of the central influence on brain stem reflexes is shown in relation to the cardiovascular, respiratory and other systems.

Intercentral relationships between brain structures during aging affect the weakening of reciprocal mutually inhibitory influences. The spread of synchronized, convulsive activity is caused by smaller doses of corazol, cordiamine, etc., than in young people. At the same time, convulsive seizures in old people are not accompanied by violent vegetative reactions, as is the case in young people.

Aging is accompanied by an increase in the cerebellum gliocyte-neuron ratio from 3.6+0.2 to 5.9+0.4. By the age of 50 in a person, compared with 20 years of age, the activity of choline acetyltransferase decreases by 50%. The amount of glutamic acid decreases with age. The most pronounced changes with aging are non-functional changes in the cerebellum itself. The changes mainly concern the cerebellar-frontal relationships. This makes it difficult or completely eliminates in older people the possibility of mutual compensation for dysfunction of one of these structures.

IN limbic In the brain system, with aging, the total number of neurons decreases, the amount of lipofuscin increases in the surviving neurons, and intercellular contacts deteriorate. Astroglia grows, the number of axosomatic and axodendritic synapses on neurons significantly decreases, and the spiny apparatus decreases.

With the destruction of brain tissue, the reinnervation of cells in old age is slow. Transmitter metabolism in the limbic system is disrupted during aging much more than at the same age in other brain structures.

The duration of circulation of excitation through the structures of the limbic system decreases with age, and this affects short-term memory and the formation of long-term memory, behavior, and motivation.

Striopallidar system the brain, when it is dysfunctional, causes various motor disorders, amnesia, and autonomic disorders. With aging, after 60 years, dysfunctions of the striopallidal system occur, which is accompanied by hyperkinesis, tremor, and hypomimia. The cause of such disorders is two processes: morphological and functional. With aging, the volume of striopallidal nuclei decreases. The number of interneurons in the neostriatum becomes smaller. Due to morphological destruction, the functional connections of the striatal systems through the thalamus with the extrapyramidal cortex are disrupted. But this is not the only cause of functional impairment. These include changes in mediator metabolism and receptor processes. Striatal nuclei are related to the synthesis of dopamine, one of the inhibitory transmitters. With aging, the accumulation of dopamine in striatal formations decreases. Aging leads to disturbances in the regulation of fine, precise movements of the limbs and fingers by the striopallidum, disturbances in muscle strength, and the possibility of long-term preservation of high muscle tone.

Brain stem is the most stable formation in terms of age. This is apparently due to the importance of its structures, extensive duplication and redundancy of their functions. The number of neurons in the brain stem changes little with old age.

The most important role in the regulation of autonomic functions is hypothalamic-pituitary complex.

Structural and ultrastructural changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary formations are as follows. The nuclei of the hypothalamus do not age synchronously. Signs of aging are expressed in the accumulation of lipofuscin. The earliest expressed aging appears in the anterior hypothalamus. Neurosecretion in the hypothalamus decreases. The rate of catecholamine metabolism is halved. The pituitary gland increases the secretion of vasopressin in old age, which accordingly stimulates an increase in blood pressure

The functions of the spinal cord change significantly with aging. The main reason for this is a decrease in its blood supply.

With aging, the long axon neurons of the spinal cord are the first to change. By the age of 70, the number of axons in the spinal cord roots decreases by 30%, lipofuscin accumulates in neurons, and various kinds inclusions, the activity of choline acetyltransferase decreases, the transmembrane transport of K + and Na + is disrupted, the incorporation of amino acids into neurons is difficult, the RNA content in neurons decreases especially actively after 60 years. At the same age, the axoplasmic flow of proteins and amino acids slows down. All these changes in the neuron reduce its lability, the frequency of generated impulses decreases by 3 times, and the duration of the action potential increases.

Monosynaptic reflexes of the spinal cord with latency periods (LP) of 1.05 ms account for 1%. The latency of these reflexes doubles in age. This prolongation of the reflex time is due to a slowdown in the formation and release of the transmitter at the synapses of a given reflex arc.

In a multineuron reflex arc of the spinal cord, the reaction time increases due to the slowdown of mediator processes in synapses. These changes in synaptic transmission lead to a decrease in the strength of tendon reflexes and an increase in their latency. In people over 80 years of age, Achilles reflexes sharply decrease or even disappear. For example, the latency of the Achilles reflex in young people is 30-32 ms, and in old people – 40-41 ms. Such slowdowns are also characteristic of other reflexes, which affects the slowing of motor reactions in an elderly person.

Summary: Pregnancy and the intelligence of the unborn baby. Factors influencing the formation of the unborn child's intelligence during pregnancy. Activities of future parents aimed at developing the intelligence of the unborn child. The influence of bad habits of the expectant mother on the formation of the child’s intelligence. The influence of infectious and chronic diseases of a pregnant woman on the intellectual development of the baby.

Activities of future parents aimed at developing the intelligence of the unborn child.

As an epigraph to this article, we can cite a well-known parable about how one woman came to a sage and asked for advice on how to raise a child. "When he was born?" - asked the old man. “Yesterday,” the mother answered. “You are nine months late,” the sage was upset. This amazing period from the moment of fertilization to the birth of a newborn is called childhood before birth. It is no coincidence that in some countries a person’s age is counted from the first day of his existence in the womb.

There is no more complex, extraordinary, but also responsible stage in a person’s life. Pregnancy is a normal physiological process during which significant changes occur in a woman’s body. This obliges the expectant mother to strictly observe hygiene rules under the supervision of a doctor in order to maintain health and promote the normal development of the fetus.

At this time, many life systems are formed - respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, etc. The mother’s womb is the environment for the unborn child, and favorable conditions of the mother’s body naturally create opportunities for its growth, normal development and, accordingly, already affect his intelligence. Even the ancients said: "In healthy body women are the future of the people."

In the process of fetal development, it is customary to distinguish two periods:

1) embryonic, or embryonic, is the period lasting from the moment of fertilization of the egg to eight weeks of pregnancy,

2) fetal, or fetal, is the period lasting from the beginning of the ninth week of pregnancy until the moment of birth.

Every woman who decides to have a child must remember that The embryonic period is the most important and most vulnerable in the life of the fetus. Although it lasts only two months, at this time the embryo begins to form all its main organs and systems - organogenesis (i.e., the birth of organs). Now the embryo is extremely sensitive to the effects of unfavorable factors, which can lead to major developmental defects. In the first 8 weeks of life, the fetus does not yet have independent functions, so its well-being depends entirely on the mother’s body.

Of particular importance for the development of the body is the nervous system, which is formed on the 18-19th day of embryo development. Cells that are destined to become the “building material” for the nervous system are characterized by higher rates of division than neighboring integumentary cells. So early appearance nervous system is due to the fact that only under its influence is it possible to “launch” the processes of formation and development of other structures of the body. By the 28th day, the nervous system of the embryo is already a neural tube, in which an expanded anterior end (the future brain), larger in size than the rest (the future spinal cord), is clearly visible.

In the fourth week, the spinal cord is clearly visible, and its main parts are outlined within the brain. Nerve cells begin to establish connections with each other, resulting in the formation of nerves that connect the periphery of the body to the brain. Already from the sixth week, the unborn child is able to carry out the first motor reactions.

A giant leap in the rate of brain development and increased complexity of connections with the periphery is observed in the period from the sixth to the seventh week. The seventh week is characterized by the formation of one of the main structures of the brain - the cerebral cortex, which in the future will face the difficult task of ensuring higher mental functions of a person.

It is already necessary to ensure that these processes develop at the right pace, which is reflected in the fact that expectant mothers should healthy image life, eat right and show due attention to your unborn baby. His intellectual development begins precisely at this stage, as a result of the formation of the nervous system and brain. But the final development of such a young formation will require a long time - in humans, the process of maturation of the cerebral cortex ends in the third decade of life. You need to do everything possible for its initial maturation, which will be discussed in this article.

By the eighth week, the baby has eyes, nostrils, and lips. At the same time, rapid changes occur in the child's brain. At the eleventh week, both hemispheres of the brain are already working, and the main coordinator of movement, the cerebellum, is developing. Every minute, 250 new brain cells are formed. This process is completed by the seventh month of pregnancy. Two months before its birth, the unborn child has already formed all the brain cells with which he will live.

During the second month of the life of a new organism, events of great importance occur, which are expressed in the fact that the embryo acquires the features of a human being. Any disturbance in the process of formation of the body of a future person can lead to severe developmental defects. Therefore, substances that can harm the body are especially dangerous in these first two months of life. These include primarily alcohol, cigarettes and, of course, drugs, even in minimal doses.

The fetal period is the further growth and development of organs and systems of the fetus. Harmful substances, acting at this stage of intrauterine life, do not cause severe malformations in the fetus, but can cause functional disorders its organs and systems. After eight weeks, the placenta begins to form in the fetus. Its full development ends at sixteen weeks.

The fetus is in the uterus in the amniotic sac with amniotic fluid, the amount of which normally ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 liters. Amniotic fluid is the habitat of the fetus and protects it from adverse external influences.

Already at four weeks, your unborn baby's entire central nervous system is fully formed, which means that he now feels pain in the same way as you. At the same time, the baby is sensitive to any change in the mother’s mood. It should be noted that nature has maximally protected future offspring from many troubles.

The period from the second to the fourth month (8-20 weeks) is extremely important in the life of a young body. The brain and peripheral nervous system are developing at a tremendous pace. The circulatory system is being improved to ensure the timely supply of oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s body to the developing body.

For development human body What is characteristic is that it is different from the embryos of other vertebrate animals - the rudiments of intelligence are already noticeable in the embryo. This purely human path of development is manifested in the specific development of the brain, hands and language, i.e. those organs with whose work our human activity is associated. Interestingly, tongue formation occurs already in a four-week embryo. By the tenth week, the developed muscles of the tongue receive “signals” from the brain. At the same time, research shows that during this period other structures of the oral cavity are not yet developed. The hand begins to work in the sixth or seventh week of the embryo’s life, while the shoulder and forearm begin to work much later.

The graceful, light movements of the fetus, attached to the mother by the umbilical cord, are reminiscent of the movements of an astronaut in space - swimming, bending, turning over, tumbling. The liquid environment allows him not only to move, but also, no less valuable, to exercise his muscles. This is very useful for the physical development of the child, as well as for the mental one, because the baby’s motor abilities are closely related to his intellectual development. At this time, the mother does not yet feel how the fetus moves and how much time it devotes to its exercises. In the uterus, the fetus lies in the cavity of the amniotic sac, which is filled with amniotic fluid, which protects developing organism from external shocks and providing the possibility of free movement ("swimming") of the fetus.

At fourteen to fifteen weeks, the first specific reactions are formed: irritation of the fetal palm causes clenching of the fingers. This is how the innate grasping reflex manifests itself, which can be observed in newborn children and with the help of which children receive all the necessary information about the world around them.

Essential elements digestive system are formed in the third or fourth month of intrauterine development. Already in the next month of pregnancy, the first sucking and swallowing movements of the fetus are observed. A normally developing fetus swallows about 450 ml of amniotic fluid during the day, which serves as an important nutritional component for it and stimulates the functional activity of its digestive system.

But, in addition to this, the natural ingestion of amniotic fluid by the fetus is also a prerequisite for the formation of a certain taste selectivity of the unborn child and determines its preference for mother’s milk.

The baby's gustatory and olfactory systems, even in the womb, are tuned to perceive and distinguish from the environment the corresponding “signs of the mother” - the taste of her milk and the smell of the mother’s body.

The prerequisites for the lactation process are laid even before the birth of the child. IN last days During pregnancy, primary mother's milk is released - colostrum (or colostrum), which continues in the first 3-4 days after birth.

Colostrum has completely unique qualities. In addition to the fact that it has a laxative effect on the newborn’s intestines, which creates favorable conditions for the baby to transition to the normal digestive process, mother’s colostrum contains antibodies that protect the child from many diseases. These antibodies reliably protect his fragile body during the first six, the most difficult weeks of his life. The composition of colostrum is very close to the composition of amniotic fluid. A familiar taste helps the baby “recognize” its mother after birth, which contributes to their strong bond, which apparently begins during pregnancy.

Research by French scientists has shown that the moment of conception and the first days of embryo development do not occur in the dark, as previously thought, but in the rays of weak red light breaking through the mother’s belly. The more light, the better the body of the unborn child is formed.

With the help of modern technology, it was possible to find out that complete darkness does not reign in the cavity of our body. Individual particles of light - photons - penetrate through the tissues of the female abdomen and, “illuminating” the sperm, fill it with energy and help it move faster, which means it will reach the egg faster and easier.

If conception has taken place, light becomes even more important in the following weeks. And here special role belongs to the placenta, which becomes a powerful source of light in the red spectrum. The more powerful this flow, which permeates the dividing cells of the embryo, the more energy-photons the protein molecules absorb, the better the baby grows.

In the cells of the embryo there is an intensive metabolism, which is helped by “accumulations” in the mother’s body, and an important factor is the recharging of her body with rays of light. In the first days of pregnancy, it is useful to walk outside on a sunny day. In winter, a woman is tightly dressed - the embryo will not see the light, you can take a walk around the sun-drenched apartment.

According to the observations of French doctors, in children whose first half of gestation occurred in the spring-summer, the formation of the skeleton and both halves of the palate begins a few days earlier. Thus, he gets the opportunity to open his mouth and swallow. And the sooner the fetus begins to drink amniotic fluid, the better it will later take the mother’s breast and develop faster.

If in the last months you often walk lightly dressed, for example, in a transparent dress, and spend a lot of time outdoors, then your baby will behave very actively. Typically, children with thin mothers are more energetic, active, and they begin to walk and talk earlier. That's why overweight women it is advisable to spend more time in the air and take short sunbathing. It is better to do this before eleven in the morning and after four in the afternoon.

In the name of health, full physical and mental development Children should be planned to be born at the age of their parents established by nature. Practice provides a lot of evidence of the difficulty of childbirth in women aged 18 and 35 years. Very young teenage girls have a very poor diet, and they themselves grow quickly, so a fetus that requires additional nutrition from the mother will most likely cause some tension in the functioning of her body. In addition, a young mother is unlikely to receive the full amount of care a woman needs during pregnancy.

The reproductive system of women at the age of 35 has passed the peak of its development, and the condition of the ovaries worsens with age. At this time, primiparous women face a large number of problems and complications during pregnancy and childbirth. They tend to be long and complex. High arterial pressure- one of the most common complications of a pregnant woman over 35 years of age. Women at this age are at risk of premature birth and severe pain in the pelvic organs before and during childbirth. Firstborns of older mothers are more likely to be born low birth weight, Down syndrome, developmentally delayed, or premature.

Modern women have a desire to first organize their lives, build a career, and find themselves in the professional sphere. They are in no hurry to have a child before the age of 30. Modern businesswomen are completely immersed in their work and have a fairly busy schedule.

According to statistics, an increasing number of women are faced with the problem of infertility and the birth of defective, developmentally delayed children due to the content in their blood of too much large quantity androgens - male sex hormones. Possible reason high content androgens in the blood are a constant stress for working women, and yet every year there are more and more of them.

For a woman, the optimal time to give birth to a child is 19-28 years. There should also not be a large gap between the appearance of the first and subsequent children; two to three years is best.

As you get older, genetic counseling becomes more important. Genetic counseling can, in some circumstances, help you and your partner make the right decisions about having a child. It is available from some major universities. Any information will be strictly confidential. As a result, you will receive information about what may affect your future offspring or your ability to conceive. But even knowing about possible complications, there is no guarantee that you will be able to avoid them. You will just know what can await you in one case or another.

Such counseling is also necessary for any woman who has given birth to a child with congenital malformations, a woman who has had repeated miscarriages; if either partner has a congenital defect; if there were cases in the family hereditary diseases: Down syndrome, mental retardation, muscular dystrophy, blood disease, congenital heart disease; if you and your partner are in any kind of relationship.

Children of spouses who are relatives are much more likely than children of unrelated couples to be born with various physical disabilities, suffer from metabolic disorders, have speech defects, and are retarded in mental development. In consanguineous marriages, both husband and wife, having a common ancestor, can inherit a “spoiled” gene from him. The closer the blood relationship, the more likely the offspring will have pathology. The first goal of genetic counseling is early diagnosis and prevention of various complications.

Research suggests that the age of the future child's father may also be important. Over time, the likelihood of chromosomal diseases increases. The risk of having a child with Down syndrome doubles for men over 55 years of age. Men, have children before you turn forty. The final maturation of a man's body - "adulthood" - occurs at 23-25 ​​years of age. This age is most favorable for fatherhood.

The special requirements placed on a mother’s life during a period that is extremely important for her and her unborn child are related to ensuring sufficient and nutritious nutrition and eliminating junk food from the pregnant woman’s diet. The birth of a normal baby depends on this. The average weight of newborns is about 3.2 kg. Often children are born, although on time, but with a lower weight - 2.3-2.5 kg. Children with low birth weight are significantly delayed in physical and mental development. This may be a consequence of maternal malnutrition during pregnancy, evidence of inadequate nutrition.

However, other reasons for a child’s low weight are also possible: insufficient nutrition of the fetus itself due to impaired transport of nutrients or the inability of the fetus to use them. These disturbances in diet affect primarily the development of the higher parts of the nervous system, i.e., the brain.

According to research, certain dietary disturbances during pregnancy affect the structural and functional development of the unborn child’s brain. In such children, the electrical reactions of the brain are changed, the orientation reflex is impaired - the most important behavioral reaction that underlies the formation of the movements and actions of other people around them.

So, during pregnancy, it is important for the expectant mother to eat right. If your diet is poor, it may affect your baby's development. Increase your calorie intake by about 300-800 per day. They will be spent on the growth of tissues in your body and the child, on the growth and development of the baby. An increase in adipose tissue is necessary during pregnancy and after childbirth to feed the baby. For the life of a child’s body, energy is needed, which you give him with food: to create reserves of proteins (protein), fats, carbohydrates. Pregnancy is not a period of life when you can experiment with different diets and reduce your calorie intake. However, this does not mean that you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.

In early pregnancy ovum uses its own reserves for nutrition. Therefore, in the first half of pregnancy, a woman’s diet should not differ significantly from her diet before pregnancy. However, it must be complete (contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements) and not contain foods and drinks that have a harmful effect on the fetus (fatty, spicy foods, spices and seasonings, canned food, smoked meats, fried meat and fish, strong meat broths, products made from white flour and pastry, various sweets, alcohol, very strong tea, coffee). You should eat at least four times a day, that is, you need to eat “for two.”

In the second half of pregnancy, you should switch to five to six meals a day. Along with the increase in the weight of the fetus and uterus, the size of the placenta, mammary glands, blood mass, etc. increase.

Products containing complete proteins include milk, curdled milk, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, mild cheese, boiled meat and fish, potatoes, cabbage, beans, wheat, rice, buckwheat and oatmeal.
Carbohydrates compensate for energy costs in the human body. A direct relationship has been proven between the amount of carbohydrates consumed and the weight of the fetus. Consume more products, which are rich in fiber and vitamins: wholemeal bread, vegetables, fruits, cereals.

Fats are also an important energy reserve, as they provide two and a half times more thermal energy compared to carbohydrates and proteins. Fats participate in plastic processes, influence the functions of the central nervous system, endocrine glands, reduce heat transfer and soften the impact of external temperature fluctuations on the body. Your diet should contain up to 40% fats of vegetable origin: sunflower, olive, cottonseed oil, etc. For animal fats, use butter and ghee, refrain from lamb and beef lard, margarine.

During pregnancy, the need for vitamins and minerals increases two to four times. Balanced vitamin and mineral complexes will provide you with everything you need useful substances, and the baby will be born beautiful, strong and cheerful.

Vitamins of groups A, B, C, D, E and others act as regulators of metabolic processes. These can be products made from wholemeal flour, cereals, legumes, herbs, vegetables, fruits, berries, liver, meat, dairy products. In the winter and early spring months, in consultation with your doctor, take vitamin supplements. Today one of the most effective is the Materna complex. We also recommend you "Pregnavit" and "Vitrum Prenatal", from domestic drugs- "Gendevit".

A pregnant woman should receive no more than 1-1.2 liters of fluid per day. It is advisable to reduce salt consumption, especially in the second half of pregnancy, despite the fact that you are “craving salty foods.” Your body also needs to get enough minerals(calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, etc.) and microelements (iron, cobalt, iodine, etc.), which are contained in sufficient quantities in your food.

Gymnastics designed specifically for pregnant women will also be useful for you and your baby. In many modern magazines you can find various exercises; there are also special centers where expectant mothers come, they are advised on all issues that arise and conduct aerobics lessons with them. Water aerobics, gymnastics and swimming will allow you to remain fit and slim throughout the nine months of pregnancy, strengthen your chest and abdominal muscles, and simply lift your spirits! Swimming is the optimal physical activity for the body of pregnant women.

You can also practice at home with your unborn baby. But even before it is conceived, you should Special attention do special exercises that strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, perineum, and pelvic floor. Strong and trained muscles ensure optimal positioning of the fetus in the uterus and promote favorable current childbirth

The upcoming birth will require a lot of physical stress from you. Special complex exercise will increase the performance and defenses of the body to perform physical activity during childbirth. In the first half of pregnancy, most exercises are aimed at strengthening the muscles of the arms, legs, back, and abdominals.

In the second half of pregnancy, it is necessary to strengthen the muscles of the feet, as the center of gravity of the body shifts. Rotation exercises are useful to increase the flexibility of the spine and pelvic joints.

The ability to control your breathing will be needed during childbirth. Already at the end of pregnancy, perform breathing exercises. To do this, you need to alternate between deep inhalation holds and subsequent relaxation of the body. Most exercises in late pregnancy are performed with a stick or sitting on a chair.

Do all exercises at a slow pace, repeat each exercise 3-5 times. After them you should not feel physical fatigue, the pulse should remain within normal limits (60-80 beats per minute).

We must not forget about the intrauterine psychological comfort of the unborn baby. The formation of emotional behavior in adult organisms is largely determined by the former conditions of intrauterine development. Scientists have proven that calm classical music has a calming effect not only on the expectant mother, but also on the child in her womb. Nowadays there are many music recordings for relaxation, be it the sounds of the forest or the sea surf. This kind of music has a very beneficial effect on a child. More ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that music can influence the formation of character.

And psychologists have found that if women listen to music very often during pregnancy, they give birth to children with absolute pitch. The fact is that sound affects the endocrine and vascular systems of the unborn child. Sound vibrations heal the body, act like a massage, affect intellectual abilities baby.

Some smells also have a beneficial effect on the unborn baby: mint, roses, lavender, sea freshness and others. Oriental aromas have a somewhat depressing effect on the nervous system of both the expectant mother and the child. With the help of aromatherapy, you can cope with many ailments that accompany pregnancy, including relieving stress. It is useful to take a bath with Leuzea oil; we also recommend rubbing a mixture of jasmine and tangerine oils with deodorized vegetable oil into the areas of the central lymphatic ducts ( armpits and groin).

The world in which the baby will appear, he begins to study in the womb. Embryos begin to hear as early as the fifteenth to twentieth week of intrauterine life. The future baby has a good sense of what is happening around the mother and distinguishes between male and female voices. He unmistakably recognizes his mother's voice, distinguishes between personal and telephone conversations, and reacts to changes in intonation. The unborn baby perfectly feels the mother's emotions. Mother and child share a strong bond with each other. And this connection will never be as strong as during the months of pregnancy.

The sound of maternal speech is the main and, perhaps, the only emotional stimulant of the life of the unborn child: it pleases, excites, and calms. During the last three months of intrauterine life, the fetus listens and remembers the intonation, rhythm, and melody of the mother’s speech. He is born with a solid supply of impressions, and therefore information. But much of what a child learns in the womb is erased from memory after birth. Just not the mother’s voice, which becomes the music of life for the baby, sedative for a frightened, newly born baby. A familiar voice helps to come to terms with new living conditions.

A person begins to prepare himself to understand and reproduce speech even before birth. In the womb of his mother, he begins to hear speech, to distinguish the sound of speech from other sounds and noises. Scientists are sure that the behavioral code, individual for each person, is laid down even before birth. And the character of this code will undoubtedly be reflected in the words of love spoken in a native voice.

It is very useful for your unborn child to listen to foreign speech from your mother and from those people who surround her. The fact is that a newborn child feels how different different languages ​​sound. When he is born, he feels if his mother suddenly starts speaking a foreign language. He reacts not so much to new words as to the general pattern of speech: stress, emphasis, intonation. A person is generally born a polyglot. A newborn is able to hear the difference between all sounds and phonemes human speech. If you immediately accustom him to someone else’s speech, then later learning a foreign language will be easier for the child. But it is important to remember that, being in the environment of his native language, after a month of life, the baby loses his keen hearing for someone else’s speech.

It has been established that the formation of emotional behavior in adult organisms is largely determined by the former conditions of intrauterine development. For a pregnant woman, there should be peace and a favorable psychological climate in the family. Bye expectant mother is waiting for the first meeting with her baby, it’s time to start a dialogue that will continue when the baby is born. He does not yet distinguish between words, but he will accurately determine their emotional connotation.

One and a half months before birth future baby begins to memorize the verses and melody of a lullaby. Therefore, we would advise the expectant mother to sing lullabies before bed, because your baby needs restful sleep, and in the last three months he has already developed his own sleep-wake cycle.

Back in 1913, Russian academician V.M. Bekhterev wrote about the important role of lullabies in the full development of the fetus. And if you regularly read the same poem out loud, then, having heard it after birth, the baby reacts to this particular poem, distinguishes it from others (which manifests itself in a change in the rhythm of sucking the pacifier).

Even in the womb, the child records in his memory the language spoken by those around him. Sometimes it turns out that after birth the baby finds himself in a different language environment. In this case, in a few years, when he begins to study foreign language- the language his mother spoke during pregnancy - he will learn it with amazing ease.

The influence of bad habits of the expectant mother on the formation of the child’s intelligence.

Let's talk about how bad habits of parents can affect the intellectual development of your baby.

IN last years The smoking “epidemic” has spread to girls and even pregnant women. Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco are dangerous to the health of an unborn baby. Nicotine and alcohol easily penetrate the fetus through the placenta and cause irreparable harm to its body. The consequences of smoking can be immediate: low birth weight and a “difficult”, loud child. May not be detected immediately: slow development, low level of intellectual data.

Smoking nicotine can cause the development of “tobacco syndrome” in the fetus and cause spasm of the uterine arteries, which supply the baby’s place (placenta) with all the products necessary for life. As a result, blood flow in the placenta is disrupted and placental insufficiency develops, so the fetus does not receive the required amount of oxygen and nutritional products. Tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide, which, penetrating through the placenta into the blood of the fetus, firmly combines with hemoglobin and prevents the delivery of oxygen to tissues. As a result, the fetus develops oxygen starvation.

In addition to nicotine and carbon monoxide, tobacco smoke contains other volatile toxic compounds. Therefore, passive smoking, i.e. the stay of a non-smoking pregnant woman in a smoky room, also causes significant damage to the health of the expectant mother and fetus.

Alcohol has high ability easily dissolves in water and fats. Low molecular weight ensures its unhindered passage through all tissue barriers of the body, which protect it from many damaging substances. Alcohol suppresses the process of maturation of germ cells, which damages their most important structure - the genetic apparatus, and the offspring are born with developmental defects. The female reproductive system damaged by alcohol causes infertility, spontaneous miscarriages, premature birth and stillbirths.

Getting into the blood of the fetus, alcohol primarily affects its brain, liver, vascular system and endocrine glands. The concentration of alcohol in the blood of the fetus reaches 80-100% of its content in the blood of the mother. The fetus has not yet developed those systems that neutralize alcohol in the body of an adult, so its damaging effect on the fetus will be much stronger and longer lasting. As a result, multiple deformities of the fetus inevitably arise, compatible or incompatible with its life. First of all it suffers baby brain, those structures that determine mental activity.

Children with alcohol syndrome - a set of congenital pathological signs in the fetus - are lagging behind in mental and physical development. The birth of children with deformities, epilepsy, and mental retardation is often associated with the father’s alcoholism: in men, gradually under the influence frequent appointments alcohol, degeneration of internal organs occurs, irreversible changes occur in the liver, heart vessels, and gonads. Their children are born weakened, often get sick for a long time, and lag behind in physical and mental development.

In many countries of the world, there have long been customs prohibiting newlyweds from drinking alcoholic beverages. In Rus', young people were given only kvass. This fact once again suggests that alcohol consumption has a detrimental effect on offspring. The ban on drinking alcohol for newlyweds protected the health of unborn children. This was clear to our ancestors without genetics. IN Ancient India All women were strictly forbidden to drink wine. Violators of this custom had the notorious bottle burned on their foreheads with hot metal.

Until recently, there was an opinion that the state of the father’s body at the time of conception of the child does not play a significant role. But today this myth is completely dispelled. A drinking father can harm his unborn child. Alcohol is a poison for any living cell - it reduces the activity and motility of sperm, breaks down, and distorts their hereditary structure.

Damage caused by alcohol causes inevitable deviations and developmental defects of the child from the very beginning of his biological existence. The consequences of alcohol consumption by future fathers can be tragic: underdevelopment of the child’s brain, mental retardation, dementia, even idiocy.

Alcohol can harm expectant mothers long before conception. Not to mention that a woman with his “help” can completely deprive herself of happy motherhood. Alcohol quickly damages a woman’s body, and the younger she is, the faster this happens. The menstrual cycle is disrupted - unfavorable conditions for conception are created. Due to alcohol intoxication, the ovaries produce immature, defective eggs. If such a damaged, defective egg combines according to biological laws to form an embryo with a sperm, ill health of the unborn child is already guaranteed.

The toxic, destructive effect of alcohol on the germ cells of future parents lasts about two weeks from the moment of its consumption. A sperm poisoned by alcohol merged with an egg poisoned by the same poison - here it is, drunken conception. The result is distorted formation of the embryo, defective fetal development, dead, deformed or sick child.

In addition to alcohol, tobacco and disease, there are other factors that negatively affect the full development of the unborn child. They may be vibration, noise, radiant heat, ionizing radiation, dust, pesticides, various chemical compounds- paints, varnishes, cleaning solutions, gasoline fumes, lead compounds, mercury, etc. The fetus in the mother’s womb often suffers from minor exposure to adverse factors that do not have a noticeable effect on the health of a pregnant woman.

The use of strong nitro paints and varnishes during apartment renovation, the use of pesticides to kill domestic insects, and other household chemicals during pregnancy can, if handled and stored incorrectly, have very adverse consequences for the health of the unborn child.

During pregnancy, the child's body is extremely sensitive to all kinds of influences. His developing brain firmly imprints the information that comes to him. This imposes a huge responsibility not only on the expectant mother, but also on the people around her. They form the child’s “environment,” influence the development of his psyche and intellect, form the main traits of his character, and are most directly included in the process of his upbringing. The physical and mental health of a future person depends precisely on this “environment,” which can either bring him benefit or cause irreparable harm.

Future parents can properly organize their own activities to develop their child’s intelligence. For the expectant mother, moderate work during pregnancy is necessary. But it is important to establish a reasonable combination of work and rest, especially in the second half of pregnancy. It is advisable to alternate work with rest every 40-45 minutes.

Fatigue and drowsiness are common factors that accompany a woman during pregnancy. The expectant mother should remember that the duration of sleep should be at least 8-9 hours. If you have sleep disturbances, you can take a sleeping pill on the advice of your doctor. The room should be well ventilated before going to bed.

During pregnancy, the need for oxygen increases by 25-30%. The expectant mother needs to walk in the fresh air more often, since during walks the blood is especially actively saturated with oxygen. If possible, walk several times a day, before going to bed - be sure.

The expectant mother breathes for two (the baby receives oxygen from her blood through the placenta via the umbilical cord). Full development and respiration of blood depends on the quality of the mother’s blood, in particular on the level of hemoglobin. And during pregnancy, the composition of the blood changes - the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes) decreases or the amount of hemoglobin, a component of the red blood cell, decreases. The main task of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body, and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.

The total blood volume increases by one and a half times as pregnancy progresses, while the mass of red blood cells increases by only 18%. A normal pregnancy means that the hemoglobin level drops by about 15% compared to normal. If before pregnancy your hemoglobin level was
130, then during pregnancy 110 is normal. If the indicator is less than one hundred, it’s time to take action.

By the seventh month of pregnancy, your blood circulation reaches its maximum intensity. The increase in total blood volume does not keep pace with the baby's oxygen needs. If the blood retained its normal viscosity, then such rapid blood circulation would be impossible. Therefore, a decline is inevitable here percentage content of red blood cells. But by the end of pregnancy, nature insures you against unnecessary blood loss during childbirth: the total blood volume reaches its maximum, and blood clotting increases.

At certain stages of pregnancy, anemia is even necessary for the successful bearing of a child. But, if the condition of your blood is outside the normal range, fatigue, frequent colds, dizziness, weakness and other troubles may appear. Therefore, try to eat more vegetables and fruits; pomegranates, bananas, beets, apples, dark grapes, plums, eggs, beef, liver, etc. are especially useful. Excessive consumption of dairy products or calcium supplements impairs the absorption of iron. Walk outdoors more often, do gymnastics and breathing exercises.

The influence of infectious and chronic diseases of a pregnant woman on the intellectual development of the baby.

Now you and your baby are one. You not only rejoice and grieve together, but also get sick together. Even a small change in the temperature of a pregnant woman's abdominal skin immediately affects the fetal heart rate. Therefore, it is natural that all maternal diseases, both chronic and acute, are dangerous for the fetus.

Many women, as soon as they become pregnant, begin to check their health. And some find out that they are either psychologically unprepared for childbearing, or have diseases that pose a threat to the unborn child.

Even before you decide to have a child, find out from your doctors your level of physical development, health status, check for diseases that you may not be aware of. First of all, see a therapist, he will refer you to other specialists if necessary.

Diseases of the teeth and nasopharynx can cause a lot of anxiety for the mother and harm the fetus. Such silent diseases as toxoplasmosis, rubella, helminthic diseases, they act on the unborn child in the most cruel way. You should also ask whether you have received all necessary vaccinations against infectious diseases.

Most of the pathogens affecting the mother are too large to cross the placenta into the blood of the fetus and infect it. The exception is the pathogens of chickenpox, hepatitis, polio and smallpox. There are a significant number of diseases, including rubella, syphilis and diabetes, that particularly affect a child's intellectual development. Such serious illnesses should under no circumstances accompany the onset of pregnancy. Treating a pregnant woman with any infection is not an easy task. After all, the use of some medications during pregnancy is contraindicated due to their possible harmful influence for the fruit.

Pregnancy should not occur immediately after completion of treatment. After all, the body is weakened by the disease, the functional activity of some organs and systems has not yet been completely restored.

Rubella, a viral infection, can manifest itself weakly in an adult or go unnoticed altogether (in women, rubella can manifest itself only as a runny nose, a slight cough, or a mild rash on the body for 1-3 days), but in the fetus it causes serious complications. The most severe consequences for the baby are caused by infection in the first three months of intrauterine development, when there is increased sensitivity and susceptibility of the fetus to all influences. The consequences are very dire: illness or insufficient heart development, smaller (relative to normal) head sizes, delays general development, hearing and vision defects and even death. Everyone should be vaccinated against rubella - both children and adult women who are not immune, but the latter should first make sure that they are not pregnant.

Syphilis is transmitted from mother to fetus. Microorganisms that cause syphilis infect the fetus, quickly penetrating almost all its tissues and organs, destroying the kidneys, liver, blood vessels, and lungs. If the child survives, the threat of getting sick will constantly hang over him acute pneumonia or lose vision. If a woman is cured before the fourth month of pregnancy, the child can avoid this disease. Early detection of syphilis is extremely important for the woman, her partner and the child. If you notice any ulcerative lesions during pregnancy, consult your doctor immediately. An effective remedy for syphilis is penicillin and some other medications that are harmless to pregnant women.

Not only infectious diseases of spouses are fraught with adverse consequences for children.

A common endocrine pathology is diabetes mellitus. This is a disease caused by insufficient production of the pancreatic hormone insulin. In the blood of such patients, the sugar content is increased, which is not absorbed by the body and is excreted in large quantities in the urine. With diabetes mellitus, all types of metabolism are disrupted in the patient, first of all carbohydrate, then fat, protein, mineral, and vitamin. Mothers with diabetes may have babies born with birth defects.

The risk of complications during pregnancy can be reduced by constantly monitoring your blood sugar. Most complications associated with diabetes appear during the thirteenth week of pregnancy. Doctors recommend especially closely monitoring the development of the disease for at least two to three months before conception. You will need to test your blood sugar levels several times a day to fully control the disease and avoid possible complications. Thanks to complete and constant monitoring, even diabetic women can count on a successful outcome of pregnancy and childbirth.

Disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism, which occurred latently in women for a long period, have a particularly harmful effect on the fetus, and therefore the patients did not undergo treatment. This disorder is called prediabetes. The symptoms of this disease are the same as those of diabetes: thirst, increased appetite, itchy skin, frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss, etc. Prediabetic conditions, which occur latently for a long time, can cause not only spontaneous miscarriages, but also the birth of children with developmental defects.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause complications for both mother and baby. The woman is at risk of kidney failure, hypertensive crisis and headache. Blood flow to the placenta will decrease, which can lead to delays in fetal development, and the baby may be born with less than normal weight.

During the entire nine months of bearing a child, you need to monitor your blood pressure if it was elevated before pregnancy. Some blood pressure medications are safe for pregnant women, but some are not. The course of pregnancy may be adversely affected by reducing the dosage of medications or stopping them.

The most common kidney disease in expectant mothers is pyelonephritis (inflammation of the renal pelvis). It can adversely affect not only the course of pregnancy, but also the condition of the fetus. Almost half of pregnant women with pyelonephritis, especially chronic, develop so-called late toxicosis.

Serious hormonal changes occur in the body of the expectant mother. The placenta produces the hormone progesterone, and under its influence smooth muscle the intestines, bladder and ureters relax. You may have a tendency to constipation, and the outflow of urine from the kidneys will slow down (the so-called “passage”). The situation is also aggravated by the pressure on the ureters of the growing uterus, which increases 60 times during pregnancy.

Also, the disease occurs and develops in the presence of an infectious focus in the body. Any outbreak chronic infection may have a negative impact on your baby's health. Expectant mothers, as a rule, have a weakened immune system, so pathogenic microbes (fungi, mycoplasmas, trichomonas) are activated and enter the kidneys through the bloodstream. Be especially careful if, even before pregnancy, the salt content in the urine was increased or abnormalities in the development of the urinary tract were detected.

Since pyelonephritis does not manifest itself for a long time, women rarely think about a urological examination on the eve of a planned pregnancy. Outside of exacerbations, you feel well, although sometimes there are attacks of weakness, headaches, and aches in the lower back. But, as a rule, they don’t pay attention to this, they blame it all on fatigue. Consult a doctor; a specialist, depending on the form of pyelonephritis, will determine the degree of risk for you and the child.

Do not self-medicate under any circumstances! Even if you are being treated with herbs, consult your doctor, because absolutely safe herbs also no. Drink more - at least 2-3 liters per day: cranberry and lingonberry fruit drinks.

Any disease can be dangerous for the unborn baby. Discuss your condition with your doctor if you suffer from any chronic disease or need to take medications on an ongoing basis. At the time of conception and in the early stages of pregnancy, it is better not to take medications or undergo any treatment. The laying of all organs and tissues of the child occurs during the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy, so protect your baby from the harmful effects of medications and examinations.

We recommend to parents and specialists the best site on the Runet with free educational games and exercises for children - games-for-kids.ru. By regularly studying with your preschooler using the methods proposed here, you can easily prepare your child for school. On this site you will find games and exercises for the development of thinking, speech, memory, attention, learning to read and count. Be sure to visit the special section of the website “Preparing for Game School”. Here are examples of some tasks for your reference:

The nervous system develops from the outer germ layer - the ectoderm. It is formed at the age of 2.5 weeks in the form of a neural plate, which first turns into a groove and then into a tube. In the wall of the tube there are two types of embryonic cells: neuroblasts - future neurons and spongioblasts - future glial cells. The spinal cord develops from the posterior end of the tube, and the brain develops from the anterior end, which is characterized by extremely rapid growth rates and late maturation.

The development of the central and peripheral parts of the nervous system proceeds heterochronously. The development of the nervous system reflects a general biological law: ontogeny repeats phylogeny. Departments that are older in evolutionary terms develop faster, and younger ones develop later. However, no one part of the brain works in isolation. The functioning of any department is connected with other parts of the central nervous system.

The maturation of the nervous system proceeds in the following directions:

• increase in the mass of nervous tissue;
• differentiation of neurons and neurofibrils;
• an increase in the number, length and diameter of neuron processes and their myelination;
• development of glial cells;
• improving connections between neurons (increasing the number of synapses);
• development of the spiny apparatus on dendrites;
• increased excitability, conductivity and lability of neurons and fibers;
• increased synthesis and content of neurotransmitters;
• increase in membrane potential.

No single indicator is decisive in ensuring nervous activity; their ratio at each stage of ontogenesis is important.

Development of neurons. At the 3rd month of intrauterine development, axonal growth begins, neurofibrils appear, synapses are formed, and excitation conduction is detected. Dendrites form later than axons, towards the end of the prenatal period, and after birth the number of their branches and synapses increases. In the human fetus, the cell mass of the central nervous system reaches its top level in the first 20-24 weeks of intrauterine development, and this number of neurons remains almost constant until old age. Neurons, after differentiation, generally do not undergo further division, but glial cells continue to divide throughout life. However, the volume of neurons increases in the early stages of ontogenesis. IN old age the number of neurons in the cerebral cortex and the mass of the brain decreases, but the activity of the remaining neurons increases. During development, the ratio between glial and nerve cells changes significantly. In a newborn, the number of neurons is greater than glial cells; by the age of 20-30, their ratio becomes equal; after 30 years, the number of glial cells increases.

Myelination of nerve cell processes begins in utero under the influence of thyroid hormones. At first, the myelin sheath is loose, and then thickens. First they become covered with myelin peripheral nerves, then the processes of nerve cells located in the spinal cord and brain. Fibers motor neurons myelinate earlier than sensitive ones. Myelination in all peripheral nerve fibers is almost complete by 9-10 years. The formation of membranes largely depends on the child’s living conditions. Under unfavorable conditions, the process of myelination can slow down for several years, which complicates the control and regulatory activity of the nervous system.

In children early age Fewer transmitters are released at synapses, and they are quickly consumed. Therefore, their performance is low, and fatigue sets in quickly. In addition, their action potential is longer, which affects the speed of excitation and the lability of nerve fibers. By 9-10 years, lability reaches almost the level of adults (300-1000 impulses per 1 s). In the same time nerve centers have great compensatory potential. During and some time after birth, brain neurons have low sensitivity to hypoxia. Then sensitivity to lack of oxygen increases, and in general the child’s nervous system is more sensitive to hypoxia due to the high level of metabolism.

As the body ages, structural and functional changes occur in neurons. Thus, the total number of neurons decreases to 40-70%, dystrophic processes associated with vacuolization, accumulation of lipids and lipofuscin pigment in the cytoplasm develop, and segmental demyelination of axons develops. The number of synapses, especially axodendritic ones, and the content of mediators in them decreases. Energy metabolism in cells decreases, which causes a decrease in the formation of ATP and the activity of membrane pumps. This leads to a decrease in the lability of neurons, a slowdown in the speed of excitation through synapses. In parallel, the structure and functions of glia change. The relative number of glial cells in relation to neurons increases, while the function of microglia decreases, the function of astrocytes is activated. Glia begin to more actively supply neurons with plastic materials, remove lipofuscin from them, increase the uptake of neuronal mediators, and begin to play a role in the formation and consolidation of temporary connections.

Of course, all organs and systems are important and necessary for the functioning of the human body, but the nervous system stands apart among them, one might say, on a pedestal. It is this that makes a person a rational and thinking being. The main importance of the nervous system is to ensure the best adaptation of the body to the influence of the external environment and the implementation of its optimal response to this influence. That is why during the first year of a baby’s life, his nervous system undergoes greater changes than any other, developing literally by leaps and bounds.

Start

Of all the parts of the central nervous system, by the time intrauterine maturation is complete, the spinal cord is the most mature. Its growth is associated with the formation of pathways (nerves) connecting the brain with muscles, for example, limbs and other parts of the body and internal organs. The beginning of the functioning of these pathways is associated with the formation of the activity of the central nervous system, which determines the work various groups muscles. This formation is facilitated by the fact that its development is directly stimulated by any irritation to which the fetus is exposed in the womb. Among them are skin irritations - skin contact with amniotic fluid, uterine walls, irritation of joints and muscles during motor activity fetus and irritation of the hearing organ (the fetus perceives speech sounds and other sounds that the mother hears, although for him they do not sound as loud as for her).

Formation reflex activity occurs in three stages:

• the stage of individual local movements (2-3 months of intrauterine development), when the fetus carries out simple limited movements in response to irritation;
• the stage of generalized responses (3-4th month of intrauterine development), characterized by the appearance of generalized uncoordinated reactions, when, in response to irritation of a separate part of the body, movements are made in the upper and lower extremities, neck and back;
• the stage of specialized reflex responses that give rise to the development of unconditioned reflexes in the newborn.

What are unconditioned reflexes?

The unconditioned reflexes of a newborn are, first of all, nature-programmed responses and protective reactions to external stimuli necessary for a child's life. Without these reflexes, the child would not be able to find the nipple and take the breast, or carry out the correct sucking movements. Almost all unconditioned reflexes are formed by the time of birth and persist from 1.5 to 4 - 5 months of the child’s life, giving way to the development of conscious motor skills. Longer preservation of a newborn's reflexes prevents the formation of these skills and is a manifestation of pathology.

So what unconditioned reflexes are characteristic of a newborn? Let's list

• search reflex (when stroking the corner of the mouth, the child turns his head in this direction and tries to touch the stimulus with his tongue);
• sucking reflex (when any object enters the child’s mouth, the baby grabs it with his lips and begins rhythmic sucking movements);
• Babkin's palm-oral reflex (when pressing on the palm, the child opens his mouth);
• Moro reflex (when hitting the surface on which the child is lying, he first spreads his arms to the sides, and then makes a grasping movement and brings his arms to the body);
• grasping reflex (when pressing on the palm, the child squeezes his fingers);
• support reflex (when the child’s legs touch the support, he first presses them in, and then straightens them and leans on the surface);
• automatic gait reflex (in an upright position with the body slightly tilted, the child begins to step with his feet on the table surface);
• protective reflex (when the baby is placed on his stomach, he turns his head to the side);
• Bauer's crawling reflex (in a position lying on his stomach with his feet resting, the child begins to crawl forward, alternately moving his arms and legs).

Assessing the state of the newborn's unconditioned reflexes is one of the main points of examining the newborn, especially if this examination is carried out by a neurologist. Changes in these reflexes, their weakening or absence, rapid exhaustion (the first time the reflex can be evoked, with subsequent stimulation it is expressed less and less) can be observed with prematurity or immaturity, with birth injury nervous system, in the presence of a general infectious disease or other pathology of the neonatal period.

First skills

Nervous system of the newborn As mentioned above, by the time the baby is born, the spinal cord is the most mature. The brain, as a more complex structure, by the end of the intrauterine period has not yet completed its development, not only in morphological terms (the formation of convolutions of the cerebral cortex continues, the ratio of white and gray matter brain), but also functional. So, a very important point is that the number of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex of a newborn child and an adult is the same. But in a newborn, these cells are still immature in their structure; they have very few processes connecting the cortical cells with each other, and it is the presence of these connections that determines many functions of higher nervous activity, such as memory, emotions, and skills.

However, the development of the cerebral cortex occurs quite quickly, and we notice this by how quickly the baby changes. A newly born baby is not yet able to hold his head and fix his gaze, he can only distinguish bright light and sees his mother’s face as a blurry spot, all his movements are chaotic and unconscious. But a month passes and the child makes significant progress in his development. First of all, all senses are improved.

In the first month of a baby’s life, the movements of his eyeballs are not yet coordinated; from time to time, convergent or divergent strabismus is noted. But by the fifth week, the child already focuses his gaze quite well on a specific object, thanks to which he can clearly see surrounding objects and faces. By this age, he begins to understand that everything is connected with the face he sees most often. positive emotions in his life there is saturation, warmth, comfort. Most often this is the face of his mother. Accordingly, the baby sees a direct connection between the appearance of the mother’s face and the appearance of comfort, saturation and warmth. This becomes the beginning of the formation of positive emotions.

The hearing organ functions already in the last weeks of intrauterine development. The fetus may experience increased heart rate in response to sharp sounds and... on the contrary, the normalization of the heartbeat and bioelectrical activity of the brain when listening to melodic music. In a newborn, the reaction to sound is in the nature of an indicative reflex: in response to a sound stimulus, the child can close his eyes, open his mouth slightly, shudder and hold his breath.

The taste organ is also fully formed at the time of birth: the newborn is good at distinguishing sweet from sour, bitter or salty. When a sweet substance enters a child's mouth, he begins to make sucking movements. Bitter, sour or salty substances cause a grimace of displeasure, closing the eyes, and crying.

By the end of the first month of life, the child acquires skills such as the ability to follow a bright moving object with his eyes, recognize his mother and smile at her. respond to the mother's voice. His daily routine is still dominated by periods of sleep, while during wakefulness - negative emotions: in this way the baby signals hunger, discomfort associated with overexcitation or fatigue, and wet diapers. But gradually in his emotional state periods of quiet wakefulness begin to appear, when the baby tries to look at surrounding objects, studies his mother’s face or listens to her voice. All this is the beginning of the formation of his psyche, his higher nervous activity, which becomes possible thanks to the rapid development of the cerebral cortex and sensory organs.

First smile

A certain semblance of a smile can be observed in the baby in the first days after birth (in a dream, after eating). But this grimace cannot be called a smile. At the moment when the movements of the eyeballs are already sufficiently well coordinated and the baby can focus his gaze on his mother’s face, when a sufficient number of connections between nerve cells have been formed in the cortex of his brain that determine the ability to remember, a true miracle occurs - the baby smiles meaningfully for the first time. This usually occurs around 1 month of age. Nothing can compare with the joy of a mother who sees a smile on her child’s face for the first time!

Features of the nervous system of a newborn

In the first days of a newborn's life, the excitability of his nervous system is significantly reduced. This is necessary in order for the abundance irritating factors, a sharp change in environmental conditions, and intense stress during childbirth did not cause damage to the nervous system. During the first week of a child's life, excitability gradually increases.

One of the features of the newborn’s nervous system is that its performance is low: fatigue and exhaustion nerve functions occurs much faster than in adults, so children cannot endure monotonous irritations for a long time, for example, they quickly cease to be interested in a rattle and need a change of impressions, for example, conversations with their mother, soft music. But these impressions should not be excessive, since their abundance and great intensity can also cause fatigue and overstimulation. The nervous system of a newborn is more sensitive to a lack of oxygen due to the high level of metabolic processes, which require high blood oxygen saturation. This is associated with the vulnerability of the nervous system of the fetus and newborn to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) during childbirth and during the first days after birth.

During intrauterine development, the fetal muscles are constantly in a state of flexion, which ensures characteristic pose fetus After the birth of a child in his skeletal muscles the predominance of the tone of the flexor muscles remains, that is, the baby constantly strives to occupy the so-called fetal position, but the activity of the motor centers that provide the tone of the extensor muscles gradually increases. Thanks to this, active movements become possible.

All movements of the fetus and newborn child are in the nature of reflexes and extend to the entire body. At this age, the baby is not yet able to carry out purposeful movements - his movements are chaotic and are a response to some kind of irritation.

Another very interesting and important feature of the function of the nervous system of a newborn is that all his behavior is subject to food dominance: if the child is hungry, his reflexes are inhibited, and his excitability is further reduced. He needs only one thing - satisfaction of the urgent need for food.

Particular attention should be paid to the peculiarities of the nervous system of a newborn, associated with incomplete myelination of nerve fibers. Myelination is the process of formation of a special sheath covering the nerve endings. This membrane plays the role of a kind of insulation, ensuring the spread of nerve impulses from nerve cell per organ or muscle, but not per muscle group. Since by the time of birth not all nerve endings have a myelin sheath, any nerve impulse passing through a nerve bundle, which combines many nerve fibers, spreads to neighboring fibers. This is due to the fact that any excitation becomes more or less general, affecting neighboring muscles or organs. So, if a newborn experiences discomfort or pain, this signal is “transmitted” to the entire body. This is one of the reasons for such pronounced anxiety in the child due to intestinal colic: Abdominal pain spreads to neighboring organs.

A striking example of the generalization of a nerve impulse is the unconditioned reflexes of a newborn. For example, when running a finger along the spine, the body is straightened, arms and legs are bent, a cry is heard, and even sometimes urination occurs.

In the early stages of development in a growing organism, the nerve centers have a high degree of ability to compensate for adaptation. If the activity of any center is disrupted, its function is taken over by other parts of the brain or spinal cord. This ability helps restore some functions of victims as a result of an unfavorable course of the intrauterine period. This truly lucky ability of the brain makes it possible to use many of its reserve capabilities to ensure the proper development of the child.

Thus, the nervous system is small: by the time of birth, it is already largely formed, its structure practically does not differ from that of an adult, but those parts of it that are responsible for the highest and most complex activities are still very immature. Their maturation lasts throughout the first year of a child’s life.