ABSTRACT
Brain development begins when a baby is growing in the womb. Neurons are the foundational elements of a baby's brain growth. Brain growth is significant and extremely fast while a baby is growing in utero, which is why the prenatal environment is so critical. A process called pruning is essential for young children's healthy brain growth. The first part of the human brain to develop in the womb is the brainstem, whose function is similar to the brain of reptiles. The limbic brain includes thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus. Mammals and reptiles do not have the neo-cortex that exists only in the human brain. Epigenetic research demonstrates that a range of adverse experiences in early childhood can induce prenatal stress and lead to epigenetic changes in a child's gene expression. Trauma impacts children and their families across all racial, ethnic, income and education levels, family constellations, geographic locations, and community groups.
