Brain Development and Stochastic Processes During Prenatal and Early Life: You Can ’t Lose It if You’ve Never Had It; But It’s Better To Have It and Lose It, Than Never Ever to Have Had It at All

Brain development, although largely driven by genetic processes, also is influenced by environmental factors. However, there has been little discussion in the psychiatric literature on the role of stochastic, or chance, events that take place during neurodevelopment. Studies suggest that the brain capitalizes on and regulates the extent of stochastic processes during development. Furthermore, because neurodevelopment is influenced by environmental factors, there is emerging evidence that fostering those positive environmental factors during prenatal and early life could optimize neurodevelopment and provide greater resilience, including those potentially resulting from stochastic processes.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: In context Source Type: research