Clip: 13
(5:28 minutes)
Source: Exploring Human Development Tool Kit
PowerPoint Captions
Description Prenatal Brain Development Animation: From Conception to Birth
This animation shows brain development from conception through birth. A macro view focuses on the brain as the embryo grows into a recognizable human form. The neural tube develops; the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain appear; the cerebral cortex grows to cover the midbrain; and gyri and sulci form over the brain surface to house the cells forming during neurogenesis. The micro view shows neurogenesis, or neural migration, in which new nerve cells are formed; synaptogenesis, in which synapses proliferate in the brain so that impulses can travel from nerve cell to nerve cell, and synaptic pruning, in which synapses are destroyed to create a more efficiently working neural network.