Neuroscience, or neural science, studies the structure and function of the nervous system, with significant focus on brain development during the first six years of a child's life when neuroplasticity is highest. The nervous system comprises the peripheral and central systems, which manage sensory inputs and responses, involving both voluntary and involuntary actions. The brain itself regulates various bodily processes and is divided into distinct parts, including the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, each responsible for specific functions related to perception, coordination, and regulation.

1. Neuroscience and Brain
Development

2. What is neuroscience?
 also known as “neural science” is a study that deals
with the structure and function of the nervous
system and brain
The technological advances in neuroscience allowed
scientists to research and develop studies about the
human brain, especially in the first six years of a child’s
development.
This period is a phase of greater plasticity, which is the
ability that the brain has to change through the
numerous connections made between the neurons for
each new experience and learning. With
neuroplasticity, the brain is able to modify the physical
structure, the chemicals and the function. This occurs
through the experiences and stimulus encountered by
the child in his or her interactions with the environment.

3. Nervous System
 is our body’s command center
 three basic functions:
 receives sensory input from internal and external environments
 integrate the input
 respond to stimuli
Our nervous system is composed of two major categories:
1. Peripheral Nervous System
2. Central Nervous System (CNS)

4. Peripheral Nervous System
 It handles central nervous system’s input output. It contains all the portions
of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.
 Contains sensory nerves (to the brain), carry messages from special
reporters in the skin, muscles, and other internal and external sense organs
to the spinal cord and then to the brain, and motor nerves (from the brain),
carry orders from CNS to muscles, glands to contract and produce
chemical messengers.
 subdivided into two:
1. Somatic Division
2. Autonomic Division
a. Parasympathetic Nervous System
b. Sympathetic Nervous System

5. Somatic Nervous System and Autonomic Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System
 consist of nerves connected to sensory receptors and skeletal muscles
 permits voluntary action
Autonomic Nervous System
 permits involuntary functioning of blood vessels, glands, and internal organs such as the
bladder, stomach and heart
two main divisions:
a. Parasympathetic Nervous System
 slows the body down to keep its rhythm
 enables the body to conserve and store energy
 like the brakes in your car
b. Sympathetic Nervous System
 mobilized the body for action
 increases heart rate

6. Central Nervous System
 made up of brain and spinal
cord
Spinal Cord
 protected by a column of
bones
 carries nerve signals throughout
the body, these nerve signals
help you feel sensations and
move your body
 example is touching a hot iron

7. Central Nervous System
Brain
 is a complex organ that controls
thought, memory, emotion, touch,
motor skills, vision, breathing,
temperature, hunger and every
process that regulates our body
 3 main parts:
 Cerebrum
 Cerebellum
 Brainstem

8. Cerebrum
 is the largest part of the brain and is divided into two halves called cerebral
hemispheres that are connected by a large band of fibers called the corpus
callosum
 higher forms of thinking takes place in it
 handles much of our brain “conscious” actions
The cerebrum is covered by several thin layers of densely packed cells known as the
cerebral cortex. Each cerebral hemisphere, deep fissures divided the cortex into four
lobes:
a. Frontal Lobe
- toward the front of the brain
- motor cortex
- voluntary movement of muscles
b. Parietal Lobe
- top of the brain
- somato-sensory
- pressure, touch, pain
c. Occipital Lobe
- back of the brain
- visual cortex
d. Temporal Lobe
- sides of the brain
- auditory cortex
- memory, perception, emotion, language

9. Language
 the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language and speech and is
called the dominant hemisphere
a. Broca’s area- lies in the left frontal lobe that directs muscle movements involve
in speech
b. Wernicke’s area- lies in the left temporal lobe involved in language
comprehension and expression
Specialization and Integration in Language
1. Visual cortex- receives written words as visual stimulation
2. Angular gyrus- transforms visual representations into an auditory code
3. Wernicke’s area- interprets auditory code
4. Broca’s area- controls speech muscles via the the motor cortex
5. Motor cortex- word is pronounced

10. Specialty Functions in Brain Lateralization
A. Left Hemisphere
- verbal competence
- speaking, reading, thinking and reasoning
- process information in sequence; one piece of data at a time
- logical
B. Right Hemisphere
- non-verbal areas
- comprehension, spatial relationships, drawing, music, emotion
- process information as a whole
- intuitive

11. Cerebellum and Brainstem
Cerebellum
 second largest part of the brain
 it functions for muscles coordination and maintains balance and posture
Brainstem
 bottom, stalk-like portion of the brain
 sends messages to the rest of the body to regulate balance, breathing, heart rate
and more
 three parts:
a. Midbrain- top part of the brainstem is crucial for regulating eye movements
b. Pons- middle portion which coordinates facial movements, hearing and
balance
c. medulla oblongata- top part which helps regulate your breathing, heart
rhythms, blood pressure and swallowing

12. Three distinct regions of the brain:
1. Forebrain- largest region of the brain
- hypothalamus regulates homeostasis; involves with drives associated
with survival such as hunger, thirst, emotion, sex and reproduction
- thalamus serve as a central relay point for incoming nervous messages
2. Midbrain- serves important functions in motor movement, particularly
movements of the eye, and in auditory and visual processing
3. Hindbrain- composed of medulla oblongata, pons and cerebellum
The Neurons (neurones or nerve cells)
 fundamental units of the brain and nervous system
 held in place by glial cells that provides neurons with nutrients, insulate
neurons, remove cellular debris when neurons die

13. Structure of a Typical Neuron
a. Dendrites- act like antennas receiving messages
b. Cell Body- contains biochemical machinery to
keep the neurons alive
c. Axon- transmits messages away from the cell
body to other neurons
d. Myelin Sheath- Surrounds the axons. It is a layer
of fatty material which derived from glial cells.
-to prevent signals from adjacent cells from
interfering with each other and to speed up the
production of neural impulses
 Afferent (sensory neurons) carry nerve impulses
towards the brain
 Efferent (motor neurons) carry nerve impulses
away from the brain

14.  Ganglia are clusters of nerve cells.
 Some axons are wrapped in a myelin sheath formed from the plasma membrane of
specialized glial cells known as Schwann cells.
 Schwann cells serves as supportive, nutritive and service facilities for neurons.
 The gap between Schwann cells is known as the node of Ranvier and serves a points
along the neurons for generating a signal.
The brain is the ultimate organ of adaptation. It takes information and orchestrates
complex behavioral repertoires that allow human beings to act in sometimes marvelous,
sometimes terrible ways. Most of what people think of as the “self”—what we think, what
we remember, what we can do, how we feel—is acquired by the brain from the
experiences that occur after birth. Some of this information acquired during critical or
sensitive periods of development, when the brain appears uniquely ready to take in certain
kinds of information, while other information can be acquired across broad swaths of
development that can extend into adulthood.

15. Thank you!!!