ABSTRACT
The central point made in this chapter is that while genes afford a universal blueprint for brain development, the environment governs the degree to which this blueprint is realized. This point is expanded upon through description of the process of construction of the brain from brainstem to development of the prefrontal cortex. Additionally, the dynamism of neural plasticity and its relation to sensitive periods of brain development and vulnerability is explicated. Finally, adversity and chronic stress as barriers to healthy brain development is explored with examples of brain research focused on the proposed mechanisms at play when the developing brain is under threat. Knowledge of the effects of trauma and adversity calls the health care professional to assert efforts to prevent and ameliorate such threats.
