Development of the Cerebral Cortex

• begins at about 56 days of gestation;

• neurons migrate from proliferative zones around the lateral ventricles

• projections from the brain stem enter the neocortex between 8 and 15 weeks of gestation, and thalamic projections at approximately mid-gestation;

• remarkable growth and constant reorganization follows, from about 34 weeks of gestation through first few postnatal years;