Development of the Cerebral Cortex

• Example: peak synaptogenesis in the frontal cortex begins in 8th postnatal mo. maximum at 2 yrs. of age; corresponds temporally to emergence of skilled actions & cognitive functions;

• from birth to 4th yr., brain volume quadruples, cortical synapse counts double, dendritic arbours quadruple, volume of cortical pyramidal cells double or quadruple depending on region and layer;

• slower cortical growth in middle childhood;